Ten toddlers among 41 undocumented foreign nationals arrested

Ten toddlers are among 41 foreigners who have been remanded in custody in connection with a scandal involving undocumented migrants entering South Africa illegally.

The group which includes 15 men, 16 women, and 10 toddlers made a brief appearance in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Sekgotodi said the 15 men were remanded in custody until 20 August 2024 for legal representation. The women together with the toddlers were also remanded in custody and their case was postponed to Tuesday, 13 August 2024, for age determination and legal representation.

Arrests

Sekgotodi said the group, including two taxi drivers, were apprehended on Friday at about 8pm near Kaapmuiden in Mpumalanga.

“The arrest comes after information was received from Crime Intelligence regarding the two taxis which were transporting undocumented people from Mozambique to Johannesburg, South Africa.

“Kaapmuiden SAPS, Local Criminal Record Centre and Border Police followed up on the information. The taxis were spotted, stopped and searched. During the search, a total of 16 women travelling with 10 toddlers, and 15 men were found without proper documentation,” said Sekgotodi.

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Charges

Sekgotodi said the suspects are aged between 17 and 40. They are facing serious charges, including kidnapping, aiding and abetting, and contravening the Immigration Act.

“The Nelspruit-based Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation was informed, invited to the crime scene and the case docket was handed over to them for further probe.

“The cases against the minors were not dealt with, pending the availability of a probation officer and a social worker,” Sekgotodi said.

Undocumented foreigners

The arrests of the group underscore the growing problem of undocumented foreigners making their way into the country.

The toddlers’ entry into the country also echoes the case of former Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina, whose citizenship was probed by the Department of Home Affairs.

The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss SA pageant on Thursday after the Department of Home Affairs revealed that it had found prima facie evidence of fraud and identity theft committed allegedly by Adetshina’s mother.

The department found this after it launched an investigation into her citizenship.

Illegal immigrants

Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government had established a programme to identify undocumented foreigners in the country.

Ramaphosa made the remarks during the ANC 2019 election manifesto review at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto.

The president at the time said illegal foreigners continue to be a problem for the country.

“We continue to have foreign nationals who do not have documents. A programme has been started to examine who among foreign nationals does not have documents and a number of them are being arrested.

“Those who do not have permits to be in South Africa better know now that South Africans want this country to be occupied by people who have documents or who are citizens of our country,” he said at the time.

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