Limpopo mother fights to bring five children home from Pakistan

A Limpopo mother is seeking urgent assistance to reunite with her five children who have been in Pakistan for about seven years. The children were taken to Dera Ghazi Khan in southwestern Punjab, Pakistan, and have not returned despite repeated requests from their mother, according to family members.

How the children ended up in Pakistan

The children’s mother, Sebotse Cecilia Muhammad, had been married to the late Muhammad Amjid, a Pakistani national. Family spokesperson Brenda Lefofana said Amjid convinced his wife to take their children to Dera Ghazi Khan to visit their grandfather and to attend three months of Islamic classes.

The children, whose ages were between five and 11 at the time of the trip, have remained in Pakistan for about seven years. Lefofana said the visit, which was meant to be temporary, stretched into years as Amjid allegedly delayed repatriation by claiming he did not have enough money for flight tickets.

Promises broken and family distress

Lefofana said that when the initial three months had lapsed, Amjid instructed his wife to return to South Africa but left the children in Pakistan. She said the father repeatedly delayed bringing the children home and later convinced his wife to take their two younger children to Pakistan as well, promising money to bring all the children back.

Lefofana said Amjid died in 2021 and was buried in South Africa while the children remained in Pakistan. She said that in April 2022 the children’s family in Pakistan told her sister the children would not be returning because that was the father’s wish, and that the grandfather had told the mother he would change his contact details.

“These people had been abusing my sister because the last time she spoke to her children was in April 2022. The children’s grandfather in Pakistan told her he was going to change his contact details as he does not want her to influence the children,” said Lefofana.

Lefofana said her sister has been struggling with the situation for three years and was depressed and refusing to eat. She said the matter was reported to Maphalle Clinic in Limpopo two years ago but the mother had received no assistance. Lefofana added the family has been interacting with social workers since 2022 who promised to help, but to no avail.

Calls for help and possible NGO involvement

Lefofana said the family is appealing for government and public assistance to bring the children back. According to The Citizen, the Brave to Love non-governmental organisation (NGO), which specialises in providing aid to victims of human trafficking, may be stepping in to help.

According to The Citizen, when contacted the NGO did not confirm it was investigating the matter but asked to be given time to study the questions put to it before commenting. According to The Citizen, another NGO offering similar services said it was dealing with three cases in which Pakistani men married South African women and emigrated with the children without the consent of the mothers.

What the family is asking

The family is urging authorities, NGOs and anyone who can assist to help reunite the mother with her five children. Lefofana said she encourages her family to keep fighting until the children are brought home.