A toddler, born in a prison in Dakar, Senegal, has been brought to South Africa where she will grow up with her family in the Eastern Cape. The girl's grandmother was nominated as her guardian while her mother serves her sentence.
The girl, now two-years-old was repatriated to SA, arrived at the OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday morning.
The Department of Social Development said the girl was born in Senegal and was in the care of her mother, who was arrested on a charge of drug trafficking.
"The department was notified by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) through its International Social Services (ISS) Directorate in August 2023, that the biological mother of the child was arrested last year February," the department said.
The girl was born just days after the mother's incarceration.
The department said the girl was considered to be in distress because a prison is not a conducive environment to raise a child.
"The government of South Africa through DIRCO initiated the process of repatriating the child by first visiting the mother to ascertain her wishes about her child," the department said.
The department added that the girl will be integrated with her mother's side of the family in the Eastern CApe while the department continues to provide child protection services and support to the family.
"The department will always put the best interest of the child first, however, we remain concerned about the issue of drugs and what it can do to children. This was an unborn baby who ended up in distress in a foreign country because the mother was arrested for trafficking drugs. We cannot stress more the importance of young people to make the right decisions about their lives," said department minister, Lindiwe Zulu said.
Since 2015, the department has repatriated 21 children in distress in foreign countries.
Repatriated children by country:
Brazil - 3
Malawi - 2
Mozambique - 2
Zimbabwe - 7
Ghana - 1
UK - 1
Peru - 1
Mauritius - 1
Canada - 2
Senegal - 1
Tanzania - 2
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