Yet another suspected child trafficking case

Chakalisa Dube | Thursday December 11, 2014 19:40

 

The police say the minibus crossed into Botswana through an ungazetted point near Matsiloje on Tuesday night. The incident comes a day after 13 children from Zimbabwe were rescued from a suspected trafficking scam in Francitown on Monday. Police pounced on the alleged traffickers in Blue Town after a tip-off and arrested.

In the Selebi-Phikwe case, the suspects were arrested shortly after crossing the border at the Sefhophe/Mogapi veterinary gate during a routine stop and search by police.

Repprts say that the two suspects arrested by police were using a Toyota quantum combi, which bears South African registration numbers. It is said the combi belongs to the employer of one of the suspects. The children it was transporting are aged between 6-16 years.

The three boys and six girls are from the Skangacha village in the Kezi District in Zimbabwe. “Upon interview, the suspects alleged that they were asked by the children’s parents who stay in Johannesburg to transport them as they were on school vacation.

At the moment, we treat the case as human trafficking. The suspects may be charged with aiding and abetting illegal entry of the kids into the country should we ascertain that they were indeed taking the children to their parents not for other purposes that can be considered human trafficking,” said Selebi-Phikwe District police boss, Takongwa Mazwiduma, yesterday morning.

He said that neither the suspects nor the children had proper travelling documents. “The kids are still under our (police) care, while we trace their parents. The suspects who are aged 22 and 40 years are still in police custody assisting with investigations,” he said.