Qacha’sNek, Oct. 23— Tears, hugs, and kisses marked the emotional reunion on Friday at the Qacha’sNek border post as 12 unaccompanied minors were returned from South Africa to their families.
The children, six boys and six girls aged five to fourteen, had been staying at alternative care facilities under the care of the Eastern Cape Social Development after their attempt to visit parents working in South Africa went wrong.
Two of the children, siblings born in 2018 and 2020 and suspected to originate from Quthing, had left in 2022, while the remaining ten left in June 2025.
The remaining ten come from Ha Sekake, Qabane, Ha Ramoroke, and Mosaqane. Among them, two grade 7 students missed their examinations due to the journey.
In an interview with the Agency, a 12-year-old boy from Ha Ramoroke recounted leaving home with his 13-year-old sister and a cousin on June 13, 2025, after school closed for winter holidays. “When we arrived in town, we met a man whom our father had already paid to transport us,” he said…
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