Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
The South Africa Border Management Authority (BMA) and the Department of Social Development (DSD) have openned discussions with their Zimbabwean counterparts following the interception of 33 undocumented minors at the Beitbridge border post recently.
A week before this interception, some 20 children were also stopped from illegally crossing the border.
The children intercepted last week, who were aged between four and 15, were stopped on Tuesday last week during routine intelligence-driven operations.
The interception comes as authorities from Zimbabwe and South Africa continue to coordinate efforts to curb child smuggling, which tends to spike during school holidays when children are ferried between the two countries.
South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner, Dr Michael Masiapato, said the latest group of children was intercepted on Tuesday.
All the children were immediately handed over to South Africa’s Department of Social Development for further processing, in line with child protection protocols and the country’s domestic and international obligations to safeguard vulnerable persons.
Authorities have reiterated calls to parents and guardians to follow proper legal procedures when travelling with minors across borders to prevent abuse, trafficking and exploitation.
Despite stiff fines imposed by the South African Home Affairs on Omalayitsha caught smuggling undocumented travellers or those with expired passports or no valid visas, into South Africa, cases of smuggling such persons are on the increase.
According to media reports in the neighbouring country, at the time, the minors were travelling in a Zimbabwe-registered omnibus taxi without proper documentation. In most cases, the minors were not accompanied by their biological parents or legal guardians.
According to a joint statement released by the DSD and BMA last Thursday, preliminary investigations suggest the movement may be linked to organised facilitation networks exploiting vulnerable children through irregular cross-border activities.
Two adult suspects who are Zimbabwean nationals, were arrested for allegedly facilitating the illegal movement and will face charges under the Immigration Act.
Investigations continue to establish possible links to broader human trafficking or child smuggling syndicates operating along the border.
Upon interception, the BMA activated child protection protocols immediately. The minors were handed over to DSD social workers and child-care practitioners for safety, psychosocial support, individual assessments, family tracing, and appropriate interventions, in compliance with South Africa’s Children’s Act, 2005 (Act No. 38 of 2005), and international obligations.
As custodian of the Children’s Act, DSD ensures care and protection for all children regardless of nationality or immigration status.
Social workers are deployed at major border posts, including Beitbridge, with additional standby officials during festive seasons and school holidays to handle increased child movements.
“During engagements with Zimbabwean border authorities and social development agencies, the government aims to share information, verify identities, trace families, and facilitate safe, lawful reunification or repatriation where appropriate.
“They also seek to strengthen coordinated prevention measures against recurrence, particularly during peak periods,” according to the media reports.
BMA Commissioner, Dr Masiapato, said child protection was a national and regional priority and the authority was intensifying law enforcement at vulnerable border areas. It is also enhancing cooperation with regional partners to dismantle criminal networks.
In December 2025, South Africa’s Minister of Social Development, Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Zimbabwe under the Bi-National Commission, providing a framework for cross-border social development cooperation.
