The North West social development department has repatriated 27 Mozambican teenage boys to their home country.
Some of the teens were apprehended when they exited abandoned mine shafts in Stilfontein, North West more than a month ago.
North West social development department spokesperson Petrus Siko said police found 15 of the undocumented children around Matlosana. He added the remainder emerged from the abandoned mine shafts in Stilfontein.
The teens were first taken to a place of safety
Siko said the children were placed in temporary safe care in Mahikeng for two weeks.
He said the 27 children were trafficked from Mozambique.
“The minors were involved in illegal mining activities at Stilfontein in Matlosana Local Municipality. Their placement in temporary safe care is in line with the provisions of the Children’s Act. The law mandates social workers or police officials to remove a child in danger and place them in temporary safe care,” said Siko.
He said at 12am on Tuesday, the social workers, with a police escort, took the children to the Lebombo border.
Their removal had to be authorised by a court
Siko said the court had authorised that they be released from the place of safety. It also permitted the social workers to repatriate and hand them over to their counterparts in Mozambique.
The social workers in the receiving country will then reunify the children with their parents.
“This was made possible after the Mozambican Consulate issued them with temporary travel documents and allowed a care-to-care process between the Social Development Departments in the two countries. This was facilitated by the Department of Social Development and International Social Workers Services. The children will be handed over to Social Workers at the Lebombo border on Tuesday, December 17 2024,” said Siko.
MEC thanks her department
North West Social Development MEC Basetsana Sussana Dantjie thanked her departmental team, led by acting Head of Department Dr Fezile Ngqobe. She said the team arranged the temporary safety and worked around the clock to repatriate them to their home country.
“We thank all the stakeholders who came forward and played a critical role in ensuring that these children receive the necessary care and protection. We also thank the Mozambican Consulate for speeding up the process of repatriation,” said Dantjie.
Nineteen illegal miners sentenced
Last Wednesday the Stilfontein Magistrate’s Court in North West convicted and sentenced 19 people for illegal mining and contravention of the Immigration Act.
North West police spokesperson Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said among the 19 are 14 Lesotho nationals, four Mozambicans and an undocumented Zimbabwean.
Mokgwabone said all are aged between 20 and 40 years.
He said the suspects were all sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, suspended for five years on condition that they are not convicted for the same offence during the period of suspension.
All the sentences were suspended for five years
In addition, each was sentenced to six months in prison or a fine of R6 000. These sentences were also suspended for five years on condition that they are not convicted for the same offence during the period of suspension.
Mokgwabone said the 19 were arrested in November when they exited the Margaret Shaft of the old and abandoned Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein, North West.
Mokgwabone said the Department of Home Affairs is currently processing the group for deportation.
Hundreds of illegal miners remain holed up underground at the Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein.
