South African authorities have arrested a taxi driver after six children were discovered hidden inside his vehicle at the Beitbridge Border Post.
The interception took place on Monday according to Michael Masiapato, commissioner of the Border Management Authority.
In an interview with SABC, Masiapato said the children were found without identification documents or adult supervision.
“These six children were actually stuffed in a taxi,” he said.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of aiding illegal migration and was being taken to a police station in the nearby town of Musina where a case would be opened.
Although officials did not confirm the children’s nationality, the border crossing links South Africa and Zimbabwe suggesting they may have travelled from there.
Masiapato said such incidents were not uncommon referring to a previous case in December 2023 in which more than 400 children were intercepted at the same border.
“These are the children of parents who are inside South Africa, who then just call a taxi driver to say ‘Bring my child over,’” he said.
Authorities rejected the driver’s explanation, saying transporting undocumented children across borders constitutes a criminal offence and falls under 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,” Masiapato added.
The children have been handed over to South Africa’s Department of Social Development and are expected to receive care before efforts are made to reunite them with their families.
