The Minister for Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, today met with two children of a South African citizen, Brian (not his real name), currently imprisoned in Brazil for drug trafficking.
The meeting with the children follows the Department of Social Development’s recent visit to Brazil to repatriate two infants born to South African mothers imprisoned in Brazil for similar offences. Brian’s daughter, Michelle, 15, (also not her real name) recognised him in a subsequent Carte Blanche broadcast of the Minister’s visit to Brazilian prisons and made contact with the television programme and the department.
During their meeting with Minister Dlamini the children expressed their wish to establish contact with their father, whom they have not heard from in about ten years. The Minister undertook to help the children re-establish contact with their father with the help of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
Brian is on parole in Brazil and is expected to return to South African in August 2014. To help with the re-integration of Brian into the children’s lives, the Minister has assigned a social worker to provide a counselling service to both the children and Brian.
The Minister also learned during the meeting that the children had experienced financial difficulties following their father’s imprisonment. To assist with this, the children will be registered for the child support grant.
Minister Dlamini said children should not have to suffer because of the mistakes of their parents. “What has happened to these children highlights the extent and threat of transnational organised crime, in particular illicit drug trafficking. It destroys the lives of the people involved, their families and brings misery to the lives of their children,” said Minister Dlamini.
Although there are both South African males and females serving sentences for drug trafficking offences abroad, the majority are women. Recent information obtained from the Consular Services of the DIRCO indicates that there are three hundred and thirty seven (337) South African females incarcerated in foreign prisons for drug trafficking. A large number of these women, ninety two (92) are incarcerated in some of the nine female prisons in Brazil. Currently, seventy one (71) South African females are serving their sentences in female prisons in Sao Paulo alone. The youngest is aged twenty and the eldest is 62 years old.
Note: Real names have been withheld to protect the identity of the minor children.
For media enquiries contact:
Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
