Ethiopian border jumpers deported

The four Ethiopian illegal immigrants who were nabbed at Beit Bridge while trying to enter South Africa through an illegal crossing point along the Limpopo River with the assistance of  a Zimbabwean man, were deported.

The Zimbabwean Solani Ngwenya (32) was trying to assist Ibrahim Ali Maalim Adam (30), Debe Ikran Abdi (25), Abdi Samiya Abdulai (34) and Mohammed Ahred Adi (28) to jump the porous border between Zimbabwe and South Africa. They were arrested by police at a pick-up point near Beit Bridge last month, as they were about to cross into South Africa.

After the prosecution failed to secure the services of an Arabic interpreter, Magistrate Gloria Takundwa of Beit Bridge ordered the quartet to be deported.

The court was told that on 4 November Adam facilitated the illegal entry of his fellow countrymen into Zimbabwe through Victoria Falls. They then travelled by road to Bulawayo, where Adam approached Ngwenya, an unregistered cross-border transporter.

It was testified that they then arranged for the quartet to be smuggled to South Africa and Adam paid Ngwenya US$200 for the service. They were, however, intercepted by police on patrol.

According to officials at border control, lately there has been a surge in the number of illegal immigrants from East African countries who enter the Zimbabwe illegally and try to jump the border to South Africa. The immigrants enter Zimbabwe through the Harare International Airport, Nyamapanda, Chirundu and Forbes border posts with the assistance of human-trafficking syndicates operating in both South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Date:12 December 2014

By: Mashudu Netsianda

Mashudu Netsianda is our correspondent in Beit Bridge, Zimbabwe. He joined us in 2006, writing both local and international stories. He had worked for several Zimbabwean publications, as well as the Times of Swaziland. Mashudu received his training at the School of Mass Communication in Harare.

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