A long-distance bus company operating between Zimbabwe and South Africa says it will no longer carry minor children unaccompanied by a parent or guardian after what they claim is a sudden change in policy by the Border Management Authority (BMA).
The BMA on Sunday confirmed that it had intercepted 42 buses carrying 443 unaccompanied children from Zimbabwe into South Africa during a sting operation over the weekend.
BMA commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato said the children were all under the age of eight and the entity suspected they may have been trafficked. He later clarified that the use of the word “may” to be appropriate.
TimesLIVE Premium reached out to several bus operators working between Zimbabwe and SA for their reaction to the operation. They requested to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation.
One confirmed their bus was among the 42 that were intercepted and confirmed that they would no longer allow minors to travel unaccompanied into SA.
“We’re no longer going to do that. We used to carry those with indemnity forms or affidavits from their parents giving authority to those accompanying the children.
“Obviously the children are not travelling alone, but there will be an affidavit that we used to have that was [also] signed by the person travelling with the child. Now we’re being told they’re no longer allowed.”
The operator confirmed that the children were turned back, while the bus was allowed to proceed after a lengthy delay. The operator also said they bore the responsibility of transporting the children home.
The bus service official insisted that in the past they were allowed to transport unaccompanied children, provided they had the correct documentation.
The operator denied allegations of trafficking, saying they were surprised at news articles suggesting this.
“The situation is most of the parents are working here in South Africa and their children are in school in Zim. So the schools just closed ... and these children were now coming to see their parents here.
“And it’s not possible for the parents to leave their jobs to go and collect the child from Zimbabwe and come back. In most cases, they will book them a ticket and ask any person they know to bring them along.”
The operator said they were blindsided by the apparent change in policy, saying they were not notified of the changes beforehand. TimesLIVE Premium understands that other bus operators were in the same predicament.
“There was no notice whatsoever. This thing has been happening for years, they’d just want a copy of the child’s birth certificate and a signed affidavit,” the person insisted.
The situation is most of the parents are working here in South Africa and their children are in school in Zim. So the schools just closed ... and these children were now coming to see their parents here.
— Bus operator
“The problem is we used to know the immigration authorities, those are the people that we used to deal with before. But now the BMA is something new and we don’t know the dos and the don’ts according to them.”
The company also said that this presented challenges for the festive season, as this would affect bookings made and the processing of refunds to parents who had already booked tickets for their children.
Another operator TimesLIVE Premium spoke to said none of their buses was intercepted in the sting operation as they do not transport unaccompanied minors.
“That is standard policy, where you’re flying in or driving in at the border post,” the company said.
“What I believe actually happened, and I can’t speak for other companies, you’ll find that there are crew members or neighbours who are asked to board with the child. We’ve had incidents like that and when they arrive at the border, these children are suddenly found to be on their own,” the operator.
TimesLIVE Premium also reached out to the BMA for more details on Saturday’s operation.
Masiapato explained that the operation ran from Saturday afternoon to the early hours of Sunday. He also clarified that the 42 buses intercepted belonged to various operators and were not part of a convoy.
He explained that it was similar in nature to the one carried out at OR Tambo international airport earlier this year.
In August, 67 Pakistani nationals were intercepted at the airport and sent back to their country after failing to comply with the country’s immigration laws.
“What we did, we placed them [officials] at the north gate of Beitbridge border, that is area where we do access control.
“We did an operation at the point of entrance into the border from the Zimbabwean side, where we do access control. We have to make sure everybody is a legitimate traveller with legitimate documents.
“During the operation we started to discover a trend where there were more and more young children in these buses destined for SA and without a parent. Second, they didn’t even have a legal guardian. Now, the people who run the buses and control who enters and exits, wanted to claim that these children in their custody and the question was, let’s see the documents, but they had no documents.”
Masiapato explained that the children were then turned back in line with the Immigration Act, which he said bars children from travelling unaccompanied.
This appears to contradict a home affairs advisory, last updated in 2019, which says nothing about minors not being allowed to travel unaccompanied but rather indicates the documents required when they travel into SA.
These are: a copy of the child’s birth certificate, parental consent letters, a copy of the passport or identity document of the parent(s) or legal guardian(s), as well as the contact details of the parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
Additionally, a letter from the person who is to receive the child in SA, containing the person’s residential address and contact details as well as a copy of their ID, valid passport and visa or permanent residence permit are required.
If the child is adopted or has lost their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), then a copy of either the adoption order or death certificate is required. A copy of a “court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights or legal guardianship in respect of the child” is also needed.
He clarified that because of where the operation was conducted, at the entry point of the border, no arrests were made but they were rather denied entry into the country.
“There is a difference between somebody who is found on the South African side without documentation. That person will get arrested and we then have to take their fingerprints, declare them undesirable and put them in our records of deportation.
“With the sting operation, we denied entry. Which means you are not even entering South Africa,” he clarified.
The BMA said none of the children appeared “under strain or distress” during the inspection and were fine. The agency also said the buses contained a mix of adults and children. In some, the ratio was 70% children and 30% adults, while others the numbers were more balanced.
Reacting to reports that the children were actually travelling to South Africa at the behest of their parents, who had their Zimbabwe exemption permits extended and sent for their children as a result, Masiapato said: “Even if that is correct, the reality of it is, a child cannot cross borders by themselves. That is not allowed.”
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