South Africa Cracks Down On Zimbabwean Children “Smuggled” Over The Border
South Africa’s Border Management Authority (MBA) has reportedly intensified operations to block Zimbabwean parents based in the neighbouring country from allegedly using unlawful methods to get their children into the country during the school holidays and festive season.
Reports from South African media claim the use of unlawful methods to get unaccompanied children from Zimbabwe into the country has become widespread.
According to the BMA, Zimbabwean children entering South Africa with a parent, both parents or a guardian, only need their passports to cross the border.
However, unaccompanied children entering South Africa need to carry passports with a host of other documents, such as copies of their birth certificates, parental consent letters, copies of both parents’ passports and death certificates in the case of a deceased parent.
GroundUp reported that for Zimbabwean parents living in South Africa, especially those on a Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), getting all the documents in order can be a huge challenge.
