Twenty-seven teenage boys are set to be repatriated home to Mozambique after resurfacing from the Stilfontein unused mines more than a month ago, the Department of Social Development in the North West said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the department said among the 27 undocumented children, 15 were found by the police in Matlosana and 12 others resurfaced from the abandoned mines and were placed in temporary safe care in Mahikeng for two weeks.
Last month, the Department of Social Development (DSD) said that about 96 undocumented children have been detained after they were found to be part of a group of illicit miners in Khuma Stilfontein, in the North West.
At the time, the DSD said the North West provincial department had received information about the arrest of undocumented minors.
READ | Undocumented children detained for illicit mining
The department said the placement of the minors in temporary safe care, is in line with the provisions of the Children’s Act which mandate social workers or police officials to remove a child who is in danger and place them in temporary safe care.
“On Tuesday at 00:00 am, the social workers managing the case set out to repatriate the children to Lebombo border with a police escort. This after they got permission from the court to release them from their place of safety and… repatriate them and hand them over to their counterparts in Mozambique, who 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,” the department explained.
MEC for Social Development Basetsana Sussana Dantjie has expressed profound gratitude to her departmental team led by acting Head of Department Dr Fezile Ngqobe for arranging the temporary safe care for the children and also working around the clock to repatriate the children to their original 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,” Dantjie said.
The MEC added that her department, together with stakeholders, are ready to provide similar services to other children who may resurface from the old gold mines in Stilfontein. – SAnews.gov.za
