Online Reporter
Mkhululi Ncube, Zimpapers Reporter
BOTSWANA authorities have intercepted a vehicle transporting seven undocumented children from Tsholotsho in Matabeleland North, who were being smuggled to South Africa.
The incident highlights a recurring problem in border-area communities, especially during school holidays when parents working in South Africa rely on omalayitsha to ferry their children across borders. The practice exposes children, many of them very young, to dangerous journeys without legal documents or guardians.
During the rainy season, the risks escalate as children may be forced to cross flooded rivers or be abandoned during police crackdowns. Omalayitsha, who charge between R2 000 and R2 500 per trip, often bribe officials along the route to evade detection.
A Zimbabwean passport costs US$170, a fee many rural families say they cannot afford.
Botswana police arrested the transporter involved in the latest incident.
Last year, 14 Tsholotsho children spent 48 days in Botswana after being intercepted under similar circumstances. They missed weeks of school while authorities processed their cases.
One parent whose seven-year-old child is among those detained confirmed the development.
“Umalayitsha was transporting seven children to South Africa, including my child. I am from Bhubhude Village in Tsholotsho. We are waiting for the court dates to know what will happen,” he said.
Asked why parents continue taking the risk, he admitted: “It is a big mistake and a gamble we take. The passport process is not easy for some of us, but it’s a lesson well learnt.”
Former Tsholotsho Rural District Council chairperson and Ward 9 Councillor, Esau Siwela, said most of the children and the arrested driver are from Ward 15 — Emagumundwini, Tshetshisa and Gandisa areas.
He said one of the affected parents contacted him seeking help to be reunited with his child. Last year, Clr Siwela assisted in securing documents required by Botswana authorities to release the 14 previously detained children.
“We must understand the children are not under arrest, but in the care of Botswana’s social services department. However, we must condemn this practice. It is a form of child abuse, even though Botswana officials take good care of them. It is traumatic for the children to spend so much time with strangers, facing language barriers and uncertainty,” he said.
Clr Siwela said Botswana is legally bound to follow strict protocols as outlined in bilateral agreements with Zimbabwe before releasing undocumented minors.
“Authorities have to establish if the children are victims of child trafficking and smuggling, hence the seemingly tougher stance authorities seem to take when handling the matter. Even if it were Botswana children intercepted in our country, the same procedure would be followed before their release,” he said.
According to the legal frameworks, DNA tests have to be conducted with their parents, and the process involves the courts as well.
Clr Siwela added that caring for the children places unnecessary financial pressure on Botswana, which must provide food, shelter, clothing and welfare services during the investigations.
He called for stronger community education.
“We need chiefs, village heads, councillors and MPs to work together. Some children travel in very poor conditions with omalayitsha, and when trouble strikes, some drivers abandon them and flee,” he said.
The Zimbabwean embassy in Botswana had not yet responded to inquiries by the time of going to print.
@themkhust
