Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
THREE Burundi nationals who tried to sneak into Zimbabwe and hop a ride to Harare were caught red-handed and convicted for violating immigration laws.
Manasse Nshimirimana (32), Arcade Nihorimbere (20) and Eddy Yaremye Huvugi (20) were recently busted by alert detectives at a service station in Chirundu, thanks to a tip-off.
The trio failed to produce valid travel documents or permits when approached by the cops, leading to their arrest on 23 June.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) confirmed that the illegal entrants were sentenced to four months behind bars, but the sentence was wholly suspended for five years, meaning they walk, but only if they keep their noses clean.
“The officers were on patrol when they received a tip-off about foreign nationals at a service station in Chirundu who were looking for transport to Harare,” read part of the NPAZ statement.
Authorities say Zimbabwe has become a key transit point for East and West Africans making the dangerous journey to South Africa.
The police and immigration compliance units have since ramped up raids on known smuggling routes between Chirundu and Beitbridge, in a bid to crack down on the growing trend of illegal migration.
The three Burundians are just the latest in a long string of would-be migrants finding themselves on the wrong side of Zimbabwean law.
