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Beitbridge child ‘rescues’ likely linked to high travel costs, not trafficking

Zimbabwean passport fees cited as major barrier for families

By Bernard Chiguvare • 21 January 2026
Beitbridge child ‘rescues’ likely linked to high travel costs, not trafficking

Recent interceptions of children at the Beitbridge border are likely due to the high cost of legal travel documents, particularly for Zimbabweans, rather than child trafficking. Many Zimbabwean parents working in South Africa cannot afford passports and other required documents, leading them to use informal and illegal transport methods.

Children intercepted at the Beitbridge border post over the past few weeks were most likely not victims of child trafficking, but part of a long-standing pattern of undocumented cross-border travel driven by the high cost of legal travel documents, particularly in Zimbabwe. Several people with experience of travelling between Zimbabwe and South Africa told Limpopo Mirror that affordability, rather than criminal intent, often lies behind such cases.

The Beitbridge border post ma...

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