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Midlands Bureau Chief
NINE illegal immigrants from Ethiopia travelling through Zimbabwe to South Africa were caught after their people carrier was involved in an accident, Midlands police said.Police seized the group from the accident scene last Tuesday after a Toyota Quantum, believed to be transporting them to South Africa, crashed on the Vungu River Bridge just outside Gweru.
Gabriel Murindagomo, the Zimbabwean driver of the vehicle, and two others fled from the accident scene before police and rescue crews could arrive – leaving the Ethiopians injured and stranded.
Prosecutors in Gweru say Murindagomo had picked up the undocumented travellers from a Wimpy in Gweru shortly before 5am and was driving them to Bulawayo, where police are holding 12 more Ethiopians following a raid on a house in Emganwini suburb.
The nine – Tamiral NFPK, 35, Samuel Jeremia Wolde, 17, Mbirano Larito, 27, Tamire Elfanos, 20, Tigahasa Lambre, 22, Degafa Cardin, 21, Kebemo Adisrdo, 18, Kamano NFPK, 23, and Adinew Jekebo, 24, were last Friday charged with entering the country illegally before Gweru magistrate Mildred Matuvi.
The case was deferred to Friday this week to allow the court time to look for an interpreter. Prosecutor Bernard Nyoni said all nine did not understand English.
He told court: “We experienced challenges in communication. The Ethiopians could not understand English or any local language, neither could we understand theirs.”
The police Criminal Investigations Department (CID), which is leading the investigation, believes the 21 being held in Gweru and Bulawayo are part of a larger group of illegal immigrants from Ethiopia transiting through Zimbabwe to South Africa.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter