South Africa border authorities intercept 20 minors as they fight child smuggling at border

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) with the support of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said it intercepted more than 20 minors on Thursday near the Limpopo River in the vicinity of the Beitbridge border fence who were allegedly smuggled out of that country.

This is part of the crackdown by Zimbabwean and South African authorities against cases of illegal migration between the two countries.

So far on the Zimbabwean side, the Department of Immigration’s Regional Compliance and Enforcement Unit arrested a total of 3 640 people for various offences relating to illegal activities in December alone.

In addition, a total of 27 travellers from Nigeria, South Africa, DRC, Zambia, Ghana, Egypt, Mozambique, Malawi, Burundi and Congo-Brazzaville were refused entry into the country for not having the right visas.

In the latest case, the BMA said the intercepted children were aged between five and 17 years and that among the group were 10 adults.

Preliminary verifications conducted by BMA officials confirmed that only one adult was the parent of one child, while the remaining minors were found to be travelling without parental supervision or lawful guardianship.

BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato said the interception has raised serious concerns regarding child protection, possible exploitation, and non-compliance with immigration and child welfare legislation.

“All individuals have been placed under the care of the relevant authorities, and processes are underway to ensure the safety, wellbeing, and lawful handling of the minors in line with South African laws and international child protection protocols,” he said.

“The BMA is working closely with police, the Department of Social Development, and other relevant stakeholders to verify identities, establish circumstances surrounding the movement of the children, and determine appropriate interventions.

“The protection of vulnerable persons, particularly children, remains a priority for the BMA. We will continue to intensify joint operations with our security cluster partners to prevent exploitation and safeguard the integrity of our borders.”