A 23-year-old Zimbabwean man, Arnold Nyoni, faced the Francistown Magistrates Court this week after being arrested for allegedly smuggling four children from Zimbabwe into South Africa via Botswana.
Nyoni was apprehended last Friday while refueling his vehicle at a petrol station in Matsiloje, after crossing the border. Although he possessed the necessary travel documents, authorities discovered that the children three boys and a girl, aged between nine and 15 lacked proper identification.
Molebatsi Chingabe, the assistant station commander in Matsiloje, confirmed the arrest and stated, “Upon questioning, it emerged they were smuggled in. The suspect was driving a Toyota Hilux with a South African number plate.”
In court, Nyoni was charged with child smuggling and has been remanded in custody as the State investigates the whereabouts of the children’s parents. Reports indicate that the children, who are not related, are currently being cared for at a police shelter in Ghetto.
Botswana authorities have expressed concern over the rising trend of child smuggling from Zimbabwe to South Africa, particularly during school holidays when many children are transported without documents to reunite with their parents working abroad.
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