The Sunday Mail
Bulawayo Bureau
Government has expressed concern over cases of child smuggling during the festive season saying parents and guardians should secure legal travel documents for minors.The regional immigration officer at Beitbridge border post Mr Notius Tarisai said they were disappointed by the surge in the number of parents and guardians seeking to smuggle minors in or out of South Africa. “People pay omalayitsha R1500 for a single trip in or out of South Africa, which translates to R3000 for a full trip. A Zimbabwean passport costs just $53 and lasts for years, it worries us why parents pay so much, there is no logic in this whole trip,” he said.
Mr Tarisai said it made economic sense for parents to secure the correct travel documents and have their children go for holidays in a safe and secure manner than putting their lives in the hands of omalayitsha who at times abandon trips and dump travelers.
He said the ordinary Zimbabwean passport takes not more than four weeks to be processed and there were no long queues as before as the process had improved greatly over the years.
He said during the festive season they witnessed cases of child smuggling and managed to rescue the children in to the hands of authorities. “We managed to intercept children who had been smuggled and we have put them in the custody of the department of Social Welfare so that their guardians can be contacted. They were enroute to South Africa for the Christmas holidays,” he said. The immigration official said the public must desist from using go betweens when trying to cross in to the neighboring country.
“Right now it is fool hardy for someone to ask these touts to assist them to cross into South Africa illegally especially through the Limpopo River which is flooded and crocodile infested. It is therefore dangerous for one to even attempt crossing via this illegal route,” he said. Thousands of people have not made it to South Africa over the years after being swept away by the river and eaten by crocodiles as they attempt to cross illegally in to the country. The immigration department blamed the public on their belief that one has to find an easy way around things which is usually the illegal way.
“The public is to blame as they have a general belief that for you to get your way around you have to do it illegally. They feel they must be corrupt somehow but that is not the case. The legal way is always the best route as it will not cost you a lot of money and you will never be in the path of immigration officials or law enforcement agents,” he warned. During the festive season he said they saw a number of Zimbabweans who had no documentation but wanted to return home.
