More than 100 illegal foreign residents living in a home east of Johannesburg were detained by South African police on Friday, including some who were as young as 10 years old.
Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi told nearby news stations that police detained them after receiving a tip and had invited immigration agents along.
In a home in Primrose, 14 kilometers (nine miles) east of Johannesburg, the group included 98 Ethiopians and four Malawians, according to Motsoaledi outside the neighborhood police station.
“Some are as young as 10 years,” he added.
Some of them were rushed to hospital for treatment for malnutrition and dehydration.
Motsoaledi said the Ethiopian running the house had been a refugee in the country since 2019, having renewed his status four times.
“From what I can understand they are brought here to run the spaza shops (general stores) around the whole country” he added.
Only four passports without South African visas were discovered in the property, according to the home affairs ministry.
According to the ministry, all 102 foreign residents were housed collectively in one residence with subpar living arrangements, no furniture, and “just blankets all over the floor, dirty pots, dirty plates.”
Some of the foreigners were “clearly victims,” according to Motsoaledi, who also suggested that a trafficking ring may be at play.
“I think the house is being used to bring people into the country and distribute them for… whoever wants cheap labour,” he added.
