Zimpapers Logo

Thupeyo Muleya in Beitbridge
The Department of Immigration here is yet to receive official communication from South Africa with regards to the relaxation of requirement for children travelling from Zimbabwe to the neighbouring country, an official has said.

Recently, the media was wash with reports that there was no longer any need for a parent intending to travel to the neighbouring country with their children under the age of 18 to get written permission from their spouse for them to be allowed to enter South Africa.

However, the Assistant Regional Immigration Officer (ARIO) in charge of Beitbridge Mr Nqobile Ncube said there have been no changes.

“We are only hearing that in the media. We have been in touch with our counterparts in South Africa and they are yet to get formal communication to that effect. Our advice is that parents or those intending to travel with children should carry along a long birth certificates, with maternal and paternal information, consenting legal documents from the other parent in cases the children are traveling with one parent,” he said.

Mr Ncube said they had also deployed a regional compliance and enforcement team at the border to deal with issues of irregular migration and child smuggling which are rife during major holidays.