A total of 14 school-age children from Tsholotsho District in Matabeleland North Province are reportedly being held in Botswana after being intercepted by authorities on August 10 while en route to South Africa.
The children were being transported by a cross-border operator and did not have legal documentation.
The children attend Mahole and Hondola primary schools, as well as Mavela, Tshithatshawa, and John Landa secondary schools in Tsholotsho District, with the youngest among them enrolled in Early Childhood Development (ECD).
One mother told the Chronicle that she paid ZAR 1,000 to transport her child to South Africa without a passport. She said:
My child was intercepted in Botswana while coming for a visit to South Africa where I work. I have gone there countless times to try and secure her release but it’s hard.
They even ordered us to do DNA tests to prove that we were the parents. When we go there, we are not allowed to see the children as authorities say we will traumatise them.
The woman said that the case was taken to court, and the children were handed over to Botswana’s social welfare department in Tutume, near Maitengwe Territory.
Parents are increasingly concerned that their children are missing valuable class time since school opened two weeks ago, particularly those in exam classes who may miss their final examinations.
What pains the parents the most is that they are not allowed to see their children and have no knowledge of their living conditions.
Former Tsholotsho Rural District Council chairperson and Ward 9 councillor Esau Siwela has appealed to the government for assistance in bringing the children back home. Said Siwela:
The parents approached me as most of them are from my ward. I took them to the Registrar’s Office in Tsholotsho where they got all documents proving that they are the biological parents of the children.
They did affidavits at Tsholotsho Police Station to enable them to travel to Botswana. When we got to Botswana they took all the papers we had prepared.
They also did interviews with the parents and did DNA tests. We returned home and were called after three days but when we got there they said some parents did not submit their documents, which delayed the process.
This issue needs to be resolved soon as the children may not be able to recover lost time at school. Those in final year exam classes will have serious challenges. My appeal is to the Government to help bring our children home.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage permanent secretary Raphael Tayerera Faranisi said that such matters are managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as they involve another country.
Efforts by the publication to reach Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Michael Mukura for comment were unsuccessful; he did not answer phone calls or respond to messages.
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