TWENTY-ONE Malawian nationals have been fined $10 000 each and jailed 10 days pending deportation after they were caught without valid travel documents.
Connex Isladge (26) and 20 others on Wednesday appeared before Harare magistrate Tafadzwa Miti charged with violating the country’s immigration laws and for remaining in the country without valid documents.
Two months of their sentence were suspended on another charge on condition that they be deported.
The court heard that on September 4 this year, the Malawians who were aboard a 3 Star Coaches bus from Malawi to Harare were refused entry into Zimbabwe by immigration officials at Nyamapanda Border Post.
Instead of going back to Malawi, they used an illegal point of entry to re-enter Zimbabwe without presenting themselves to the immigration officials.
On September 4, 2022, at around 2030, a tip off was received by police that the emigrants were aboard a 3 Star Coaches bus destined for Harare.
Acting on the information, police intercepted the bus at Shamva Tollgate roadblock and requested to see documents authorising them to be in the country.
They failed to produce the documents, and instead presented passports which did not belong to any of them, resulting in their arrest.
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