A love story gone wrong: How two SA girls ended up in Malawi

<span>A love story gone wrong: How two SA girls ended up in Malawi</span> <span><span>bombeleni_temp</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-09-04T11:45:00+02:00" title="Friday, September 4, 2026 - 11:45">Fri, 09/04/2026 - 11:45</time> </span>

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<img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/banner_image/public/2026-09/Screenshot%202026-09-03%20at%2016.46.10.png.webp?itok=ECYRfwdG 1x" width="940" height="529" class="image" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/banner_image/public/2026-09/Screenshot%202026-09-03%20at%2016.46.10.png.webp?itok=ECYRfwdG 1x" src="/sites/default/files/styles/banner_image/public/2026-09/Screenshot%202026-09-03%20at%2016.46.10.png.webp?itok=ECYRfwdG" alt="Two children trafficked to Malawi from South Africa have been reunited with their families." />

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</div> </div> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_36 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="https://www.enca.com/news-top-stories-videos/love-story-gone-wrong-how-two-sa-girls-ended-malawi" data-a2a-title="A love story gone wrong: How two SA girls ended up in Malawi"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.enca.com%2Fnews-top-stories-videos%2Flove-story-gone-wrong-how-two-sa-girls-ended-malawi&title=A%20love%20story%20gone%20wrong%3A%20How%20two%20SA%20girls%20ended%20up%20in%20Malawi"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span>

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<div class="text-long"><p><span>JOHANNESBURG - </span>A false promise of a better life by their mother’s lover is how two children found themselves in Malawi.</p><p>The nine- and 15-year-olds found themselves in a foreign land after their mother’s boyfriend allegedly lured them and their grandmother to the country with the promise of a better life.</p><p>Upon their arrival in 2024, their passports were allegedly confiscated and they were held captive in the country.</p><blockquote><p><span><strong>READ: </strong></span><a href="https://www.enca.com/news-top-stories/trafficked-sa-girls-reunited-families"><span><strong>Trafficked SA girls reunited with families</strong></span></a></p></blockquote><p>After almost two years, the mother and grandmother were bussed back to South Africa. Upon arrival, they alerted authorities that the two girls were still in captivity.</p><p>Retelling their ordeal through social workers, the girls said they were neglected and deprived of food. They were reportedly moved from one place to another in order to confuse them.</p><p>During the two years they were in the country, they did not attend school.</p><p>“They have gone through a lot of trauma,” said the Department of Social Development Director-General, Siza Mangangoe.</p><blockquote><p><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://www.enca.com/news-top-stories/second-arrest-durban-sex-trafficking-case"><span><strong>Second arrest in Durban sex trafficking case</strong></span></a></p></blockquote><p>The girls, who are happy to be home, were repatriated to South Africa on Monday. According to the Social Development Department, 22 trafficked children have been successfully repatriated to date.</p><p>“It looks like there is a syndicate targeting women with promises of work, businesses and the like,” said Minister Dina Pule.</p><p>“We are still monitoring it,” she said.</p><p>Pule has called on women to be careful about who they trust with their children. No arrests have been made, but investigations are continuing.</p></div>

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