South Africa Denies Entry to 443 Unaccompanied Children from Zimbabwe

Authorities claim trafficking, but others suggest children were visiting parents working in South Africa for the holidays.

South African border officials intercepted 42 buses carrying 443 unaccompanied children, all under the age of eight, from Zimbabwe.
The children were denied entry into South Africa and were processed back into Zimbabwe.
Authorities claim the children were being trafficked, but the Africa Diaspora Forum suggests they were likely visiting parents working in South Africa for the holidays.
It is common for children to be sent over the border without proper documentation, especially near the end of the year.
South Africa, home to over a million Zimbabweans, launched a new border force in October to clamp down on illegal immigration.