Bulawayo magistrates court yesterday ordered the deportation of 21 Ugandan nationals after convicting them for illegally entering into the country.
The 21 Ugandans who include a five year-old minor, who was in the company of her mother, were arrested on Saturday 8 February 2020 after being intercepted by some Zimbabwe Republic Police officers at Nyamandlovu tollgate along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway and charged with failing to appear before an immigration officer as defined in section 32(5)9b) of the Immigration Act.
In court, prosecutors alleged that the Ugandan nationals, who were represented by Jabulani Mhlanga of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, failed without just cause to appear before an immigration officer and entered into Zimbabwe on 8 February 2020 at Victoria Falls Border Post in Matabeleland North province.
The Ugandans, prosecutors charged had some valid passports but had unlawfully entered into Zimbabwe without presenting themselves to immigration officials.
The Ugandan nationals include Tomson Barisigara aged 30 years, Martin Katerega aged 28 years, Elizabethy Kisembo aged 48 years, Abdul Katumba aged 44 years, Habiibu Kiggundu aged 36 years, Hamuza Asiimwe aged 27 years, George Willy Ochom aged 26 years, Hassan Kagaba aged 38 years, Rasul Dalausi aged 26 years, Shafic Senyange aged 22 years, Kasango Umar aged 27 years, Adam Kagaba aged 47 years, Nakitende Peninah aged 26 years, Magezi Gadafi aged 38 years, Opio Peter aged 26 years, Muzimba Solomon Ssemakula aged 26 years, Kato Derrick Kimera aged 29 years, Alex Kiganda aged 25 years, Ramazan Masereka aged 23 years and Mugerwa Sulaiman aged 29 years.
Bulawayo Magistrate Tinashe Tashaya convicted the Ugandans and sentenced them to serve three months in prison, which was wholly suspended for five years on condition that they do not commit a similar offence within the same period.
Magistrate Tashaya also ordered that the Ugandan nationals be deported in terms of Zimbabwean laws to their country of origin.
