Arnold Nyoni, a 23-year-old Zimbabwean, has appeared before the Francistown Magistrates Court in Botswana on charges of smuggling four children from Zimbabwe to South Africa via Botswana. Nyoni was apprehended last Friday at a petrol station in Matsiloje while refueling his vehicle, just after crossing the border.
Although Nyoni possessed valid travel documents, the four children he was transporting—three boys and a girl aged between nine and fifteen—did not have the necessary paperwork. The children, who are not related, are now under the care of a police shelter in Ghetto, Botswana.
Nyoni faces charges of child smuggling and remains in custody as authorities continue their efforts to locate the children’s parents. This incident highlights a troubling trend of increased child smuggling during school holidays in Zimbabwe. With Zimbabwean schools having closed on August 8, many parents working in South Africa attempt to transport their children across borders without proper documentation.
The case underscores the ongoing challenges related to child trafficking and the need for stringent measures to ensure the safety and proper documentation of minors traveling across borders.
In other news – Teenager receives 15-year jail sentence
A 13-year-old boy from Plumtree, Matabeleland South, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for aggravated indecent assault. The minor is currently incarcerated at Bulawayo Prison. His identity has been withheld as he is a minor. In an interview with CITE, the minor’s mother, who is based in South Africa, said her son was staying with his aunt at home.
“There is another homestead belonging to my paternal grandmother, and a woman is employed to take care of it. During the school holidays in April, that woman’s seven-year-old child visited our homestead because schools were closed. Read More
