A 46-year-old Nigerian national was arrested in Ermelo on Thursday, 22 October 2026, following a joint law enforcement operation targeting premises allegedly linked to commercial sexual exploitation.
The operation was conducted by the Hawks' Secunda Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, assisted by the SAPS Gert Sibande District Office, Ermelo SAPS and the Department of Home Affairs.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), officers searched premises in Ermelo's central business district as part of an investigation into suspected unlawful activities.
During the search, six women and one man were found on the property. Preliminary investigations established that three women were from Lesotho, two from Eswatini and one was a South African citizen.
All five foreign women were reportedly in possession of valid passports.
Further investigations led officers to a 46-year-old Nigerian national allegedly operating from the premises. He was found in possession of an expired asylum document.
Police arrested the man for allegedly renting rooms to the women in circumstances suspected of contravening provisions of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act.
The suspect was expected to appear in the Ermelo Magistrate's Court on Friday, 23 October 2026. The outcome of that appearance has not been confirmed yet.
Investigations remain ongoing to determine the full extent of the alleged unlawful activities and whether additional individuals knowingly facilitated or benefited from them.
Acting Provincial Head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Bruce Davenport, commended the cooperation between the law enforcement agencies involved in the operation.