About 96 undocumented children have been detained after they were found to be part of a group of illicit miners in Khuma, outside Stilfontein in the North West.

In a statement on Wednesday 27 November, the Department of Social Development said the North West provincial department had received information about the arrest of undocumented minors.

Most of the illicit miners, including the undocumented children, are suspected to originate from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, namely Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

The Department of Social Development is, in terms of the Constitution of South Africa, the Children’s Act, Child Justice Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), mandated to protect the rights of children.

“Based on the outcomes of the court proceedings, the department will seek to place all identified and legally declared undocumented children in accommodation and provide for their basic needs, while they are still waiting to be processed in terms of the Child Justice Act.

“The court will, in terms of the provisions of the Child Justice Act formally charge the children whilst they are placed in the safety of the facilities of the department,” the department said.

The department said it had identified cultural mediation to assist in translation as language has been identified as a barrier.

Furthermore, the department has engaged the Zimbabwean and Mozambique embassies for the issuance of repatriation certificates/traveling documents.

Health services have been provided to the children to ensure that they are healthy and that their rights were not violated.

“During this period of processing, the department will as part of its child protection services conduct a comprehensive assessment to ascertain if they are indeed children who are in need of care and protection.

“The department will continue to provide the necessary support until the repatriation process is concluded,” the department said.