A case against a Zimbabwean couple that is facing charges of trafficking of persons has been postponed to December 14.
This after about 14 children were found inside a bus travelling from Gauteng to the Western Cape on Tuesday.
The duo, a 46-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman, appeared in the Kimberley district court on Thursday. The case was postponed for bail information and consultation with an attorney.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the accused were arrested after a multi-disciplinary operation was activated when a member of the community who was in the same bus raised the alarm.
NPA spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said a Zimbabwean couple and the children were seen boarding a bus in Midrand.
A suspicious passenger tipped off a police officer who in turn alerted his colleagues.
“On the day of the commission of the crime, a member of the community who alerted the police was riding in a bus from Gauteng destined for Western Cape,” said Senokoatsane.
“She noticed 14 children between the ages of six and 14 comprising eight boys and six girls, who were acting strangely.”
Multi-disciplinary police team
A team encompassing the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation, Kimberley family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit, and Kimberley crime prevention intercepted the bus.
“An operation was activated in Kimberley by a multi-disciplinary team for investigation and arrest. The 14 children were found to be undocumented,” said Senokoatsane.
During their arrest, the suspects refuted claims that they were trafficking children, saying they were taking them to their parents in Cape Town.
This information could not be authenticated and the couple was detained.
Upon inspection, the children were found to have not been well-taken care of, as they looked unhygienic and without clothes except the ones they were wearing.
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“The accused will remain in custody until their next court appearance and investigations are continuing,” added Senokoatsane.
On December 3, the Border Management Authority said 443 children were rescued when about 42 buses were intercepted at the Beit Bridge border post in Limpopo.
However, Zimbabwe Home Affairs Minister Raymond Kazembe Kazembe said it was not true that children from Zimbabwe were found in the buses.
He labeled the South African narrative as fictitious.
