Kids back in Zimbabwe, parents at risk
● “Mamma, I’ll be fine. You must be strong.” This was the last thing the 12-year-old told her mother.
The child was covered in bruises. She had been beaten by other youngsters sharing “a place of safety” with her and seven other Zimbabweans aged between two and 14, said her mother, who asked to remain anonymous.
This week the children — escorted by government officials, including members of the Hawks — were repatriated to Zimbabwe, marking the end of a legal battle between their parents and the South African ministers of social development and home affairs.
Judge Bill Prinsloo in the High Court in Johannesburg dismissed an application to stop repatriation.
In November, the eight children were taken into care when they were found in Rustenburg, travelling from Zimbabwe in a truck — unaccompanied by an adult and without the necessary documentation.
Now the parents might also be sent back to Zimbabwe. Their advocate, Simba Chitando, said one was arrested on Thursday afternoon in Cape Town, and officials came to arrest another but he was not at home. The others have all received letters or calls telling them to report to the Department of Home Affairs.
Parents who spoke to the Sunday Times this week said they were desperate to be reunited with their children, and prepared to abandon their new lives and the chance of a better future in South Africa.
“I’m heartbroken. I thought she’d be here with me by now,” said the mother of the 12year-old, weeping. She had secured a school place for her child.
Parents established where their children were being cared for and social workers took pity on them when they gathered at the location. “We were hoping to get the kids back. But they sneaked the children out just to say hello to us.” Those few minutes turned out to be the girl’s goodbye to her single mother.
The mother said she had no choice but to send for her daughter because her caregiver in Zimbabwe had died. She had tried to get a passport for her child but the bureaucracy had become unbearable, a family member told the Sunday Times. “We had no choice. In Zimbabwe they are not granting passports on time,” said the relative.
The girl took on the role of mother to the children, and especially cared for the twoyear-old boy, who was inconsolable.
Another parent said his wife also managed to see their son. “He was not happy. He was crying when he saw his mother . . . He is supposed to go to school here because his grandmother in Zimbabwe is not well,” he said.
“We come here to work for our family because in Zimbabwe there are no jobs. He is our only child and my dream for him is to become a mayor in order to help people.”
Chitando said the parents had no idea the children would be travelling in a truck. All they knew was that the driver was a reputable man who charged R1 800 to transport each child to Cape Town.
“The parents are a mess. They are completely gutted. One mother had to be restrained when she tried to gain access to her child. She cried and yelled at officials. The parents are very angry,” said Chitando.
Home affairs spokesman Thabo Mokgola said if the parents were in South Africa legally, “nothing will happen”. However, “if they don’t have the proper documentation, the law has to apply”.
“These children were smuggled into the country and were intercepted by the law. Anyone coming into the country has to present themselves in front of an immigration officer, ” he said.