Zim Human Traffickers Admit Offence

Lebogang Mosikare | Monday January 16, 2017 16:23

 

The trio Sudden Sibanda, Mhlangabedzwa Nhliziyo and Mtokodisi Ndlovu each admitted to having committed 15 counts of human trafficking when they appeared before Principal Magistrate Dumisani Basupi, but claimed they had been sent by the children’s parents in South Africa to bring along the minors.

The suspects were busted by the police in the beginning of December in Francistown along the Blue Jacket Street from Zimbabwe en route to South Africa in the company of the so-called smuggled people mostly children who had no passports.

Admitting to the offence, the accused said during the beginning of December last year, they left South Africa for Zimbabwe in order to deliver goods and groceries from their relatives in South Africa.

When they left South Africa, the trio conceded that they agreed with their relatives in South Africa that they would bring along their children to South Africa when they return from Zimbabwe.

The court heard that on December 7, 2016, the trio started their journey from Zimbabwe to South Africa via Botswana.

They admitted that when they arrived at Ramokgwebana border post, they told passengers in the car they were travelling in to disembark from the car and then led them to ungazetted point of entry because the passengers did not have passports to cross the border legally.

When they arrived at the ungazetted point of entry, the court heard that they were handed over to another man from Zimbabwe whose duty is to help people to cross the border illegally.

The man, the court heard, helped the smuggled people to cross the border illegally.The trio admitted that in doing so, they exposed the smuggled people to emotional, physical and psychological distress and harm.

When asked by Basupi if what they did was legally justified the trio said it was not. Sibanda told the court in mitigation that he committed the offences because he was instructed by the parents of the children in South Africa to transport them from Zimbabwe to South Africa.

“Life in Zimbabwe is very difficult. I committed the offences in order to raise money to pay for my children’s school fees. I plead with the court to tamper justice with mercy when delivering its sentence,” said Sibanda.

On the other hand, Nhliziyo pleaded with the court to have mercy on him when passing sentence because his illiteracy influenced him to commit the offence.

He said: “I had to find a means to find money to pay for my children’s school fees hence I committed the offence and I ask for the court’s forgiveness.”

Mtokodisi also told the court that he committed the offence in order to support his widowed mother adding that it is tough to eke a living in Zimbabwe.

Attorney Pascal Mandu from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) told the court that the accused have no previous convictions. Sentence in the matters will be delivered on January 24.