Cape Town – The Border Management Authority (BMA) in South Africa has reported successfully preventing the trafficking of at least 443 children from Zimbabwe during an operation at the Beitbridge border post.
Law enforcement officials conducted a sting operation, searching 42 buses on Saturday night, where they found children under the age of eight travelling without parents or guardians.
The BMA engaged with Zimbabwean officials and sent the children back for processing.
[BREAKING NEWS] 443 children trafficked. Border Control says it prevented 443 children from being trafficked through Beitbridge Border last night.
Tune into #Newzroom405 for more details. pic.twitter.com/vO9ENNYii7
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) December 3, 2023
“They were able to stop and search about 42 buses trying to enter the republic and out of that we found about 443 children under the age of eight that were in those buses without any parent or any guardian. Fairly, they were being trafficked into South Africa.
“We were able to take them out of those buses. We were then able to engage with the Zimbabwean officials and we handed them back to Zimbabwe for processing back into the country,” commander of the border guard Michael Masiapato said on Sunday.
The authority also highlighted its success in stopping over 44 000 individuals attempting to enter South Africa illegally and deporting them since April 2023.
[WATCH] “BMA discourages officials from facilitating the illegal movement of people and goods through our ports of entry” – Dr Michael Masiapato BMA commissioner says they are investigating about 18 cases of misconduct. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/nYdcPrPcsb
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) December 3, 2023
“We got them arrested. We got them fingerprinted, we declared them undesirable, and we got them deported on the spot. Further, about 100 452 individuals overstayed in the country. We got the hit from our movement control system when they arrived at the ports. We then declared them undesirable, and we banned them from entering South Africa for the next five years.
“About 98 150 individuals were refused entry into the country for various reasons. Some of them were criminal elements who are listed on the Interpol list for having committed different types of crimes in other jurisdictions in the world,” Masiapato said.
In preparation for the festive season, the BMA plans to extend operating hours at critical ports and deploy an additional 380 personnel at selected busiest entry points, as six million people are expected to move through the country’s borders, airports, and harbors in December.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
