About 30,000 children trafficked in or through S. Africa annually: minister

About 30,000 children are being trafficked in or through South Africa annually, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba revealed on Thursday.

He made the revelation in reply to a question in Parliament in relation to the new visa regulations requiring minors to produce unabridged birth certificates when travelling into or out of South Africa.

But the opposition questioned the figures, saying this was a desperate attempt by Gigaba to legitimize the need for unabridged birth certificates.

Gigaba denied the fabrication of the figures, saying the information was obtained from social workers through visits to shelters and interviews.

"On average, the Department (of Home Affairs) visits three shelters per quarter. In order to identify victims, the Department obtains information from designated social workers at the shelters and conducts interviews with the identified victims to obtain information on why and how such victims came into the country," Gigaba said.

Haniff Hoosen, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, said Gigaba appeared to be misleading South Africa, on a matter that was sensitive and delicate "for his own ends".

The exact number of children being trafficked in or through South Africa has remained contentious.

While trafficking of minors is a concern there is no conclusive research showing the actual extent of the phenomenon in South Africa, Hoosen said, quoting child protection groups.

He urged Gigaba to come clean on these figures, state the true scope of the problem, and immediately suspend the new visa regulations with a view to withdrawing them.

The visa regulations, which took effect on June 1 this year, have been widely criticized domestically and internationally for hitting tourism.

The tourism industry claims that the regulation have led to a decrease in the number of foreign tourists to South Africa. But the government insists that the rule is necessary to stem child trafficking. Endi