ABOUT 42 buses carrying passengers from Zimbabwe were turned away at the Beitbridge border.
Four hundred and forty-three unaccompanied children under the age of eight were among the passengers, according to Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.
It's suspected that the children were abducted. Motsoaledi praised the good work by the Border Management Authority (BMA) following a successful sting operation at Beitbridge Port of Entry on Saturday night, 2 December.
This was a joint operation between the BMA Border Guard, the Counter Corruption and Security Services of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and police.
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The minister said the 42 buses from Zimbabwe were stopped and searched.
"During the search, 443 unaccompanied minors under the age of eight were found on the buses who were smuggled into South Africa without the consent of their parents or guardians. The hard work of the Border Management Authority is commendable and shows that we are pulling out all the stops to prevent criminal activities and illegal entry into the country.
"Clearly, the BMA is working hard and making progress in the effective enforcement of border laws," Motsoaledi said.
The minister said all the people on the 42 buses were denied entry into South Africa and after consultation with the Zimbabwean authorities, they were all, including the children, brought back to Zimbabwe.
All the children who were rescued had Zimbabwean passports and were handed over to the Zimbabwean authorities for processing.
"We strongly condemn these criminal acts, especially when the interest of the child is at stake, especially during this period of 16 Days of Activism for the No Violence Against Women and Children campaign," said the minister.
Home Affairs said 150 adult Zimbabwean nationals were also arrested and detained on the same night.
The BMA commissioner, Dr Mike Masiapato, assured the nation that the BMA, Home Affairs officials and members of the SAPS are on the ground to ascertain all relevant details of the incident. Work continues to track down all perpetrators to bring them to justice.
"The whole incident in Beitbridge shows that the BMA has achieved great things in a very short space of time. This is a good sign to highlight the outcry over porous borders," Motsoaledi said.
