adminThupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
THE Department of Immigration has fired two officers at Beitbridge border post for engaging in corrupt activities.
Annah Mutashu (32) and Kennedy Matunga (45), both accounting assistants in the Department of Immigration were allegedly in possession of a fake South African departure date stamp which they used to clear travellers who would have overstayed in the neighbouring country.
They’re said to have been in the habit of charging R300 to affix the stamp on a single passport. By then the South Africans were penalising overstaying travellers a fine of R1,000.
The pair was arrested on 12 January last year following a trap by police detectives from the Border Control Unit.
It is understood that the pair was relieved of their duties on Thursday after they were found guilty of improper performance during a disciplinary hearing.
The Assistant Regional Immigration Officer in charge of Compliance and Enforcement, Francis Mabika confirmed the development yesterday.
“I can confirm that the two officers have been discharged from service following an internal hearing for improper performance. We’re trying to weed out all corrupt individuals from the department. Actually we’re saying no to corruption in the department.
“As a department we don’t just talk but we act on cases as they come” he said.
Mabika said members of the travelling public should also report any corrupt activities to the enforcement and compliance office.
He, however, could not divulge more details saying some of the issues were confidential information.
Mutashu and Matunga were last year dragged to the Beitbridge magistrate court facing charges of criminal abuse of office. They were, however, acquitted due to lack of evidence.
According to the police charge sheet, detectives from the Border Control Unit received information from their South African counterparts on 12 January, 2014 to the effect that the two were stamping passports using a fake departure date stamp from that country.
This came to light after immigration authorities in South Africa had intercepted one, Chamunorwa Ngwenya, a loader at Revival Bus Company who was travelling on a Zimbabwean passport with a fake immigration departure date stamp.
Ngwenya was handed over to Zimbabwean police for interrogations resulting in him implicating Mutashu and Matunga.
After interviewing him, the detectives then set up a trip, where they gave Ngwenya four passports to handover to the accused persons so that they could affix a South African departure date stamp.
Ngwenya then called Mutashu in the company of the detectives and was told to bring the passports and R1,200 for services.
The whistle blower then took the four passports to Mutashu together with 12 by R100 notes which were marked by the cops. Mutashu affixed two of the passports with fake date stamp and collected the marked notes.
She then gave R200 to Matunga and pocketed the rest. Mutashu was arrested while leaving the immigration hall soon after getting the money. She was then searched leading to the recovery of the marked notes amounting to R1,000.
Her accomplice was also searched leading to the recovery of R200 marked notes and they were subsequently arrested. The fake date stamp was, however, not recovered.
Online Reporter