Zimbabwe moves to repatriate 200 smuggled children from South Africa

The children have been living in various care homes in South Africa after being smuggled into the country to visit their parents and guardians.

Permanent secretary for the Public Service Ministry Simon Masanga said these children are invited to South Africa by their immigrant parents from Zimbabwe during school holidays and stay past their documented periods.

Other children are smuggled through middlemen who end up abusing them.

“As I interact with you today, we have more than 200 children in care institutions in South Africa and we are working closely with our friends in South Africa to repatriate these children back home. We are just identifying safe forms for these children to arrive at as we try to unite them with their extended families,” Masanga told members of the parliamentary portfolio committee in Bulawayo.

Masanga also announced government plans to publish a list of voluntary and non-governmental organisations operating in the country illegally. There are about 400 in total.

“Government is in the process of enacting a new law, the private voluntary organization bill which will regulate operations of PVO and NGOs. The bill which had sailed through parliament was sent back to President Emmerson Mnangagwa after the sector made representation before it was signed into law,” he was quoted by Chronicle as saying.

The law is expected to pass through parliament after which all non-compliant organisations will be de-registered.