14 Undocumented Children Rescued From Suspected Child Trafficking Ring in Kimberley in Viral Video
- The South African Police Service arrested two suspects who were suspected of human trafficking
- A video of 14 undocumented children being rescued went viral, and it is believed that they were travelling from Midrand when a passenger spotted them
- The passenger alerted the police and netizens called for traffickers to be harshly punished
Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered police investigations and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.
Source: Getty Images
A bus travelling from Pretoria to Cape Town was stopped and 14 children were found. It's reported that a passenger noted strange behaviour and alerted the police. It was discovered that they were allegedly kidnapped and the police arrested two suspects. South Africans feel South Africa is under siege and are calling for harsher punishment for child traffickers.
Trafficked children saved in viral video
In a video posted by @zito142 on X, formerly Twitter, children are shown sitting outside a petrol station. There are police vans and a lot of commotion in the area.
According to a statement released by the South African Police Service, the children were in a bus that travelled from Midrand and stopped in Kimberley, Northern Cape. One of the passengers noted that the children were quiet and when the bus stopped for breaks, they could not get out.
In Kimberley, the passenger allegedly called a family member who tipped the police off. Upon arrival, the police found that the children were dirty, looked hungry and did not have any luggage on them. The suspects claimed that they were taking the children on holiday. When the information could not be verified, the suspects were arrested. The children were taken to a safe place and given food to eat. Watch the video here:
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Mzansi wants traffickers to be punished
South Africans were livid in the comment section.
Bheki said:
“The state needs to take border control seriously. Enforcing the country’s laws needs to be strengthened.”
Goolam wrote:
“South Africa is under siege. We are in big trouble as a country. The criminals fully control the country, and they know that even with the worst crime, if they are caught, the consequences are minimal.”
Sy Marcus Herve Traore exclaimed:
“Anybody who kidnaps a child or anyone should receive capital punishment.”
Brett Ben Raphael pointed out:
“How sad. Imagine what those children have gone through and how it will affect their lives going forward.”
443 Children saved from being trafficked from Zimbabwe
Similarly, Briefly News reported that 443 children were saved from being trafficked at the Beitbridge border in Limpopo.
According to the Border Management Authority, the children were being trafficked from Zimbabwe to South Africa. All of the children were under eight years of age. South Africans were agitated and called for something to be done about trafficking.
Source: Briefly News
