Police Bust Suspected Zim Human Traffickers

Lebogang Mosikare | Monday December 12, 2016 16:28

Mugabe is blamed for the endemic poverty and unemployment, which some analysts put above 80%, forcing Zimbabweans to engage in various illegal activities such as human trafficking among others, to earn a living in neighbouring countries.

On Friday, Sudden Sibanda, Mhlangabedzwa Nhliziyo and Mtokodisi Ndlovu appeared before the Principal Magistrate to each face 15 counts of human trafficking.

They told the court that they would conduct their own defence. The state alleges that the trio were found with people of varying ages; the youngest being three months and the oldest 38 years in a car along Blue Jacket Street en route to South Africa from Zimbabwe on Thursday.

Prosecutor Pascal Mandu from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) applied for charges to be read to the accused and their pleas to be reserved.

“Police investigations into these matters have just commenced. Some of the investigations would be done in Zimbabwe where the accused originate and South Africa where parents of the alleged smuggled people are suspected to be staying. The police need time to do their investigations without any interference from the accused persons. We therefore apply for the accused persons to be remanded in custody for 14 days. The police have promised us that they would expedite their investigations. As we speak, a team of police investigators has been dispatched to Zimbabwe to carry out investigations,” said Mandu.

Mandu added: “The accused have no place of abode in Botswana and we fear that they can escape when granted bail despite having valid travelling documents”.

Nhlziyo prayed with the court to grant them bail saying that they would not escape, but will assist the police with the whereabouts of the parents of the alleged trafficked people in South Africa. Mtokodisi echoed Nhlziyo’s pleas, saying that they would be of great assistance to the police in locating the parents of the children they were travelling with in South Africa. Basupi refused to grant the accused persons bail. He said: “Each one of you is facing 15 counts related to human trafficking. Most of the alleged smuggled people are females and some are very young. I am also of the view that the investigations in these matters would take place in three countries and would need time to be completed.

There is no doubt that the investigations into the matters are still at their initial stages. The police should be given sufficient time to investigate these matters appropriately without any interference from the accused persons. Therefore, I am of the considered view that the accused persons should be remanded in custody as applied for by the prosecution. The accused shall come to court on December 23 for status report”. Recently, the Deputy Commissioner of Botswana Police Services (BPS) Support Services Tapudzani Gabolekwe was quoted in a local newspaper saying that Botswana is being used as a transit country for human trafficking victims to their destinations.

Speaking at the official launch of District No. 5 campaign on crime and road traffic accidents last week Friday in Maun, Gabolekwe said five cases of human trafficking were already recorded in the country this year.