On January 5, 2026, residents in Mulbarton, Johannesburg, stumbled upon barefoot teenage boys in underwear, leading to the rescue of 10 victims and the arrest of a suspect in a suspected human trafficking case.
On the evening of January 5, 2026, while driving in the Johannesburg suburb of Mulbarton, Aneesa Adams and her friends noticed two frail, barefoot boys seated beside a private security vehicle, dressed only in underwear. Security officers explained that the boys had been robbed. Soon after, on another street, they encountered three more boys in similar distress, this time with officers suspecting kidnapping.
The boys could not speak English and appeared to be Ethiopian, as determined through translation via an app from Amharic. One mentioned having a passport, while another spoke of his family's wealth to help him. The group provided blankets, food, and water to the malnourished and traumatized boys. Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department’s Tactical Response Unit and South African Police Service officers arrived, planning to take them to a station.
The boys struggled to walk due to injured feet, likely from fleeing barefoot. Officers believed they had escaped from a basement in a nearby house. With help from Fox Security, GTS Security, and the Mondeor Community Policing Forum, authorities rescued 10 victims total and arrested a suspect on kidnapping and human trafficking charges. The case was registered at Mondeor police station.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, reported the arrest of a 47-year-old foreign national in Johannesburg's CBD. Johannesburg Metropolitan Police were alerted to eight half-naked teenagers walking along Broad Street in Mulbarton. Two more were in a blue VW Jetta, which was intercepted after a high-speed chase ending on Commissioner Street, leading to the suspect's arrest and the boys' rescue.
The suspect faces charges of illegal immigration and trafficking in persons, with a court appearance scheduled for Thursday at Booysens Magistrates’ Court. A local resident called the incident 'deeply unsettling' but praised the swift response: 'It is shocking to learn that this kind of thing is happening right under our noses. The quick reaction from the CPF and our security companies is comforting.'
Similar cases have occurred recently, including the rescue of 26 Ethiopians held naked in Sandringham in January 2025 and 44 in Parkmore in May.