A Durban Regional Court on 27 August 2026 granted bail to a 65-year-old Durban businessman and his co-accused Rangasamy Naidoo in a human trafficking case involving three women allegedly lured from Eldorado Park, Johannesburg. The businessman was released on R50,000 bail while Naidoo received R100,000 bail, both with strict conditions, as reported by IOL.
The businessman faces 20 charges including trafficking in persons, sexual assault, kidnapping, procurement, cyber fraud, crimen injuria, conspiracy, and offences under the Films and Publications Act. Naidoo faces similar charges but excluding kidnapping, attempted conspiracy, and sexual assault, according to court reporting.
The state charge sheet states the three complainants were recruited between February and March 2022 “under the false pretences of employment involving the sale of SIM cards at a casino and/or work in a call center.” The women were allegedly confined at 59 Stirling Crescent, Durban North, on 2 March 2022, where sexual exploitation allegedly occurred.
The police docket was opened at Durban North police station in August 2026, more than four years after the alleged offences, with the businessman arrested on 11 August 2026. KwaZulu-Natal deputy director of public prosecutions Kalaivani Govender signed confirmation that the State would charge the businessman in a bail category requiring exceptional circumstances for release.
Investigating Officer Karl Sanders told the court the state opposed bail because both accused could indirectly interfere with witnesses. The bail proceedings spanned several days from 25 August before the court granted release with conditions on 27 August.
EWN reported that the businessman argued in his bail affidavit that he was detained on the day of the rescue but was never charged at the time. He questioned the motive behind his arrest more than four years after the alleged offences took place.
The three complainants travelled from Eldorado Park in Johannesburg to Durban, a journey spanning nearly 600 kilometres across provincial boundaries. For communities across the Cape Flats, the case underscores how traffickers exploit the same vulnerabilities — unemployment, poverty, and desperation for work — that affect working-class families throughout South Africa.
Claims that the businessman has ties to senior police or political figures, that four additional arrests are anticipated, and that the arrest was linked to testimony at the Madlanga Commission remain unverified by independent sources. Cape Flats will monitor court proceedings and provide updates when the case returns to the Durban Regional Court for further appearances.