South Africa has intercepted ten minibus taxis transporting 133 individuals suspected to be victims of human trafficking in Limpopo Province, police say.
“We have intercepted ten taxis along the N1 towards Pretoria, just outside Polokwane. Here, we have actually processed over 133 victims of suspected human trafficking, including children and adults,’’ said Hlulani Mashaba, provincial police spokesperson.
Mashaba added that Home Affairs officers have been invited to ‘’check where they’re coming from’’ and that the suspects would likely be ‘’deported back to their border.''
The incident comes less than one week after South African border control officers intercepted 42 buses carrying more than 440 unaccompanied children allegedly from Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwean authorities have denied the South African claims.
"The two border authorities on both the Zimbabwean and South African side have not received any official communication or confirmation on the alleged (interception and repatriation of) 443 children as reported in some publications," Zimbabwean Labour Minister July Moyo said in a statement on Monday.
Every year, South Africa deports between 15,000 and 20,000 foreigners staying in the country without the proper documentation, according to its Home Affairs office.
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