Tot leaves jail for SA

REPATRIATED: TODDLER’S MOM ARRESTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING

Prison not proper environment for child’s upbringing.

The social development department has successfully repatriated a two-year-old from a prison in Senegal. Social workers from the department arrived with the toddler at OR Tambo International Airport on a flight from Dakar yesterday. The child was born in Senegal and has been in the care of the mother who was arrested in that country for drug trafficking last year.

The department said it was notified by the department of international relations and cooperation that the biological mother of the child was arrested last month.

Social development department spokesperson Lumka Oliphant said it was reported that within days of her incarceration, the mother had given birth to the child.

“Due to the mother’s incarceration, the child is considered to be in distress since a prison is not a conducive environment for the upbringing of the child. The government of South Africa through Dirco initiated the process of repatriating the child by first visiting the mother to ascertain her wishes about her child.

“The mother nominated the grandmother of the child as the guardian in the country while she serves her sentence in Senegal.”

Oliphant said the department asked the Eastern Cape’s social development department to probe the circumstances of the nominated foster parent to assess suitability to care for the child.

“The child will be integrated with the mother’s family in the Eastern Cape and the department will continue providing child protection services and provide support to the family,” she added.

Since 2015, the department has repatriated 21 children who were distressed in several countries including Brazil, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and the UK, among others.

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu said: “We remain concerned about the issue of drugs and what it can do to children. This was an unborn baby who ended up in distress in a foreign country because the mother was arrested for trafficking drugs.

“We cannot stress more the importance of young people to make the right decisions about their lives.”