South African authorities have arrested a taxi driver at the Beitbridge Border Post after finding six children “stuffed” inside his vehicle without documentation or adult supervision.
Speaking to SABC News, Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner Michael Masiapato confirmed the interception occurred on Monday, 6 April.
“These six children were actually stuffed in a taxi,” Masiapato said, adding that the group was found without any identifying papers or accompanying parents.
“So, on that basis, we had to arrest the taxi driver for aiding and abetting illegal migration.
“And as we speak now, he is being taken to Musina Police Station, where we are going to open a case.”
While Commissioner Masiapato did not explicitly confirm the children’s origin, their interception at the Beitbridge Border Post strongly suggests they had travelled from Zimbabwe.
Masiapato said, “This is something that we always deal with. You’ll remember on the 3rd of December in 2023 when we did intercept those 400-plus children.
“These are the children of parents who are inside South Africa, who then just call a taxi driver to say, ‘Bring my child over,’ and all of those kinds of issues. So, that is basically the explanation.”
He said the BMA had rejected the driver’s explanation, because transporting children across borders without documentation is a criminal offence and falls under the legal classification of human smuggling.
“It’s not trafficking per se, because the children are not under stress per se, but you can see that the person has just been asked to bring the children over. And on that basis, we had to get him arrested.
“The children are now handed over to the Department of Social Development, and they are going to be taken care of and ultimately be reconciled with their families,” said Masiapato.
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