Mozambique: Mozambique Paper Apologies for Child Trafficking Story

The newsheet "Canal de Mocambique" has apologised for publishing a false story on trafficking of children between Mozambique and South Africa.On Monday, the paper claimed that 20 children, aged between 9 and 16, were found inside a truck from Mozambique at the Komatipoort border post in South Africa. The children were supposedly found inside cardboard boxes, covered with blankets.

The report added that six of the children were Mozambican, while the remainder were "Thais and of other nationalities". Supposedly they were sent "to a safe place in Pretoria under the care of the South African social welfare services".

This story was picked up uncritically by other media, including the local stringer from Agence France Presse (AFP), and was sent around the world.

But both the South African and the Mozambican police promptly denied any knowledge of the case.

The "Canal de Mocambique" source was a conveniently anonymous official in the South African Department of Social Development. The paper says that its reporter in South Africa contacted this source again, after the police denials.

The source said that the story consisted of "information which, after further investigation, could not be reconfirmed", although at the time he spoke to the reporter he believed they had been confirmed.

In Wednesday's issue "Canal de Mocambique", accepting that there is no basis for the story, apologised both to its readers and to the South African authorities.

-June 30, 2010 by AIM

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Source: allafrica.com/stories/201006300949.html  (accessed on 30.06.10)