Stilfontein: 27 minors linked to illegal mining repatriated
The Department of Social Development in the North West has confirmed the repatriation of 27 teenage boys from Mozambique after they resurfaced from unused mines in Stilfontein more than a month ago.
The department placed the children in temporary safe care, which is in accordance with the provisions of the Children Act, which mandates that social workers or police officials remove a child who is in danger and place them in temporary safe care.
“On Tuesday, the Social Workers managing the case set out to repatriate the children to Lebombo border with a police escort. This after they were granted permission by the court to release them from their place of safety and allow them to repatriate them and hand them over to their counterparts in Mozambique, who will then reunify the children with their parents,” said department spokesperson Petrus Siko.
READ: Plans to ‘extract’ Stilfontein illegal miners ongoing - govt
The Mozambican Consulate issued temporary travel documents to minors and allowed a care-to-care process between the Social Development Departments in the two countries.
“The children will be handed over to Social Workers at the Lebombo border on Tuesday, 17 December 2024,” Siko confirmed.
The North West MEC for Social Development Basetsana Sussana Dantjie thanked the social workers’ team for ensuring the temporary safe care and repatriation of the children to their country of origin.
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