South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) has arrested a kombi driver allegedly trying to smuggle undocumented Zimbabwean children into the country through the Beitbridge port of entry.
According to BMA spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi, the minibus taxi driver was carrying 25 undocumented foreigners when he was intercepted on Monday.
The passengers included 20 children aged between five and 14, who were unlawfully transported under dangerous and inhuman conditions. Said Mogotsi:
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The vehicle used was impounded. The driver has been charged and is in police custody and a conveyance fine of R375,000 has been issued in accordance with the Immigration Act.
Following standard protocols, the children were handed over to the Zimbabwean child welfare authorities for their safety and care while investigations continued.
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BMA acting commissioner Jane Thupana stated that the operation underscores the BMA’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks that exploit vulnerable individuals, especially children. She said:
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The trafficking and smuggling of people undermines human dignity and border security and the BMA remains vigilant in its efforts to safeguard South Africa’s ports of entry and protect those at risk.
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The commissioner said the BMA will continue to work closely with other law enforcement agencies to combat illegal activities.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

A driver in South Africa was arrested for trying to bring 20 kids from Zimbabwe into the country illegally. The kids were aged 5 to 14 and were in dangerous conditions. The driver has been taken into custody and fined. The children were given to authorities in Zimbabwe for safety. The Border Management Authority is working hard to stop people smuggling and trafficking. They will keep working with others to fight illegal activities at the border.

South African Kombi Driver Arrested For Smuggling Children From Zimbabwe

South Africa’s Border Management Authority (MBA) has reportedly intensified operations to block Zimbabwean parents based in the neighbouring country from allegedly using unlawful methods to get their children into the country during the school holidays and festive season.
Reports from South African media claim the use of unlawful methods to get unaccompanied children from Zimbabwe into the country has become widespread.
According to the BMA, Zimbabwean children entering South Africa with a parent, both parents or a guardian, only need their passports to cross the border.
However, unaccompanied children entering South Africa need to carry passports with a host of other documents, such as copies of their birth certificates, parental consent letters, copies of both parents’ passports and death certificates in the case of a deceased parent.
<a href="https://www.groundup.org.za/article/south-africa-cracks-down-on-zimbabwean-children-entering-country-to-visit-their-parents/">GroundUp</a> reported that for Zimbabwean parents living in South Africa, especially those on a Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), getting all the documents in order can be a huge challenge.
As a result, parents often pay bus companies an extra fee to “smuggle” the children over the border.
Just before reaching the border, children, including babies, are removed from buses and carried across the border by runners who meet buses on the other side.
South African border officials are not accepting affidavits commissioned by ZEP holders in South Africa unless they are commissioned in a court of law.
On 3 December, the BMA claimed it had intercepted 42 buses coming from Zimbabwe between 2 and 3 December.
The BMA said among the passengers on the buses were 443 unaccompanied children under the age of eight.
The Zimbabwean Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage dismissed the claims, saying “no such incident occurred” and there was no record of buses being intercepted and children being handed back to Zimbabwean authorities.
But the BMA maintained in a 6 December statement that 443 unaccompanied children were stopped from entering South Africa.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

South Africa Cracks Down On Zimbabwean Children "Smuggled" Over The Border

Police in Limpopo, a province in South Africa, have intercepted vehicles travelling from Zimbabwe to Polokwane that were carrying over 100 undocumented foreign nationals, including men, women, and children. According to Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, the Limpopo police spokesperson, the vehicles were stopped and searched after the police received a tipoff, <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/police-intercept-more-people-including-kids-aged-six-months-allegedly-trafficked-from-zimbabwe-15225037-75bd-433f-836b-dafaf4be99f4">IOL</a> reported. Mashaba said:
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The police operationalised on information received and managed to locate 11 motor vehicles travelling along the N1 North bypass gateway, outside Polokwane.
The vehicles were tactically approached, stopped and searched and found to be overloaded with 73 underage children between six months and 17 years, including 60 adults.
The passengers could not provide the legal documentations for being in the country and were placed under arrest on the spot. Most of the passengers could not establish where they were going and were suspected to be victims of human trafficking.
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The police suspect that many of the individuals may be victims of human trafficking, as they were unable to establish their final destination. The police also seized the vehicles used to transport the individuals, which included eight Toyota Quantum vehicles, two Toyota Hilux GD6 double cab bakkies with canopies, and a Toyota Fortuner.
The Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Social Development have been called in to assist with processing the undocumented foreign nationals and providing support to the suspected victims of human trafficking. The police investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Last week, Two Zimbabwean nationals, Tafadzwa Nakakurwa and Beulla Maruza, were arrested for human trafficking after being found with 14 children on a bus travelling to Cape Town. The suspects claimed they were taking the children to their parents, but the police could not verify this information. The children, aged between six and 14, appeared dirty, without extra clothes or bags, and hungry, according to IOL. A team from the Department of Social Development was contacted to assist, including finding a safe place for the children and giving them food. The investigation is ongoing, and the suspects may face further charges.
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SA Police Intercept Vehicles Overloaded With More Than 70 Underage Children From Zimbabwe

The South African Border Management Authority (BMA) has implemented stricter entry requirements for minors travelling into the country due to child trafficking concerns at the Beitbridge Border Post. These stringent restrictions are expected to be particularly intensified during the festive season.
SA Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi recently claimed that 42 buses carrying 443 unaccompanied minors under the age of eight were intercepted on the South African side of the border. There were unconfirmed reports of further interceptions over the weekend.
The BMA stated that it is obligated to protect every child within its borders as guided by various acts and conventions related to children’s rights, <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200020787/sa-introduces-stricter-child-entry-requirements">NewsDay</a> reported. BMA deputy assistant commissioner (communication and marketing), Mmemme Mogotsi said the requirements were targeted at both South African and foreign visa-exempted children. Mogotsi said:
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When it comes to unaccompanied minors, these requirements apply to South African children and non-South African children alike and will be implemented without fear, favour or prejudice. For demanding these requirements, the BMA is unapologetic.
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These requirements include providing a letter from the person receiving the child, with their residential address and contact details, as well as details of the child’s accommodation and the necessary identification documents of the receiving person. Additional documents may be required for children in alternative care, such as letters from the Department of Social Development authorising departure.
The BMA stated that it will implement these requirements without bias or prejudice, and will intensify its operations during the festive season when there is an expected increase in visitors at the Zimbabwe-South Africa border.
There was tension between Zimbabwe and South Africa following Motsoaledi’s statement, with Zimbabwe’s Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe denying the allegations, particularly regarding the number of trafficked children. Zimbabwe argues that the situation should be referred to as child smuggling rather than child trafficking. This is because they believe that the parents or guardians of the children involved are aware of and consent to their travel. In their view, trafficking implies a wrongful act, whereas in these cases, the children’s parents or guardians are said to be knowledgeable about and supportive of their children’s journeys.
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SA Introduces Stricter Entry Requirements For Minors Due To Child Trafficking Concerns At Beitbridge Border

South Africa’s Department of Social Development has confirmed that Zimbabwe is willing to receive the eight minor children smuggled into South Africa in November 2017.
South African Minister Bathabile Dlamini said Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare expressed its willingness to receive the eight children, aged between two and 12, who have been held by the department for three months.
Dlamini’s office said it received a confirmation letter from its counterparts in Zimbabwe stating that the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare was “prepared to receive the eight unaccompanied minors at the Robert Mugabe International Airport in Harare and will be placed in places of safety in Harare while documentation, tracing and reunification efforts are underway”.
More: <a href="https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/social-development-department-to-help-get-zimbabwean-children-held-in-sa-back-home-20180222">News24</a>

South Africa To Return Smuggled Children Back To Zimbabwe

A quarterly meeting of the Zimbabwe-South Africa Cross-Border Coordination Committee for Unaccompanied and Separated Migrant Children said that 150 children have been intercepted while being smuggled into either South Africa or Zimbabwe, while 79 local minors are being held at care centres in Limpopo province. Last year, 120 children were intercepted in December alone.
Speaking during the meeting held in Beitbridge on Tuesday, the committee’s co-chairperson, Mr Craig Nkomo, said:
<blockquote>It is sad that we continue to have parents or guardians who expose their children to illegal migration. Most of the intercepted children are from Bulawayo and Chiredzi and their destination in South Africa is mainly Johannesburg in Gauteng Province. In general, the largest number was intercepted in the month of January, while the movement was significantly lower in April.</blockquote>
Nkomo said that authorities have impounded vehicles that have been used to smuggle children as well as prosecuting the smuggles. Nkomo said their target was to reduce the number of children being smuggled between the two countries to less than 30 per year.
More: <a href="http://www.herald.co.zw/child-smuggling-on-zim-sa-border-surges/">Herald</a>

Child smuggling on the rise at South Africa-Zimbabwe border

A quarterly meeting of the Zimbabwe-South Africa Cross-Border Coordination Committee for Unaccompanied and Separated Migrant Children said that 150 children have been intercepted while being smuggled into either South Africa or Zimbabwe, while 79 local minors are being held at care centres in Limpopo province. Last year, 120 children were intercepted in December alone.
Speaking during the meeting held in Beitbridge on Tuesday, the committee’s co-chairperson, Mr Craig Nkomo, said:
<blockquote>It is sad that we continue to have parents or guardians who expose their children to illegal migration. Most of the intercepted children are from Bulawayo and Chiredzi and their destination in South Africa is mainly Johannesburg in Gauteng Province. In general, the largest number was intercepted in the month of January, while the movement was significantly lower in April.</blockquote>
Nkomo said that authorities have impounded vehicles that have been used to smuggle children as well as prosecuting the smuggles. Nkomo said their target was to reduce the number of children being smuggled between the two countries to less than 30 per year.
More: <a href="http://www.herald.co.zw/child-smuggling-on-zim-sa-border-surges/">Herald</a>

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