Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare has addressed recent reports circulating in the media about 443 children being trafficked from Zimbabwe to South Africa.
News about South African border officials stopping buses carrying over 400 unaccompanied children from Zimbabwe has sparked discussion on social media.
On Sunday, South African Border Management Agency Commissioner Mike Masiapato revealed that the South African police stopped and searched 42 buses arriving from Zimbabwe on Saturday night. They discovered 443 unaccompanied children under the age of 8.
Masiapato explained that they refused entry to these buses and instructed Zimbabwean authorities to take charge of processing their return to Zimbabwe.
“We denied them entry and activated the Zimbabwean officials to process them back into Zimbabwe,” Masiapato said as quoted by ABCNews.
He added that the buses were allowed through on the Zimbabwean side of the Beitbridge border post.
On Monday, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare July Moyo issued a statement saying they were concerned by reports that 443 children were intercepted on their way to South Africa.
“The Ministry is concerned with information released by the South African Border Management Authority on the 3rd of December 2023 alleging that 443 unaccompanied Zimbabwean children below the age of 8 years were intercepted In South Africa on fears of child trafficking and were handed over to Zimbabwe Authorities,” Moyo stated.
Contrary to the reports, Minister Moyo clarified that both Zimbabwean and South African border authorities had not received any official communication or confirmation regarding the alleged 443 children, as reported in some publications.
To the contrary, the two (2) Border Authorities on both the Zimbabwean and South African side have not received any official communication or confirmation on the alleged 443 children as reported in some publications,” part of the statement reads.
Moyo further explained that from November 25, 2023, to December 3, 2023, Zimbabwe had received a total of 124 children (71 males and 53 females) who were intercepted and handed over to the Department of Immigration at the Beitbridge Border Post.
Source iHarare
