adminThandeka Moyo Court Reporter
TWELVE Ethiopians recently caught hiding in Bulawayo’s Emganwini suburb face deportation after a magistrate yesterday convicted them of entering the country illegally.Magistrate Abednico Ndebele sentenced the group to three months in prison, which were wholly suspended for five years on condition they do not within the period enter or remain in Zimbabwe without proper travel documents.
The 12 men took turns to explain themselves before the magistrate with the help of an Ethiopian interpreter.
“Your Worship, I walked for nine months to Zimbabwe because of religious tensions in my country. I was hoping to get peace and job opportunities,” one of the group members said.
“My parents were killed while I watched and they burnt our farm which was our only means of survival. We came here seeking asylum because life had become so difficult in Ethiopia.”
Magistrate Ndebele said it was unnecessary for the clique to be fined as they had no money.
“This court understands that there is instability in your country and that most of you are young people who entered Zimbabwe for the first time,” he said adding, “It was considered that the accused persons walked for nine months to get here. Therefore there is no need for us to fine you or put you in prison because you have been in remand for almost three months now. You can go but do not commit such an offence again.”
The 12 men were caught hiding at a house in Emganwini on December 4, 2013 and since then no interpreter who understands their Amhari language could be availed as only one of them understood English.
The group had begged the court to grant them refugee status citing civil unrest in their home country. Sintha Makoro, 24, Landabo Gezacho, 23, Marcos Fikiru, 24, Aeshm Negesh, 27, Darrilo Teshale, 25, Getahun Demeke, 29, Desalegn Elther, 26, Zerll Angela, 24, Gobana Esheku 25, Bosor Deigif, 27, Sedebo Simon, 26, and Dunago Desta, 22, all signed an admission of guilt letter, which was read in court on February, 5 2014.
“This letter serves as an admission of guilt and request for refugee status. There is a social and political unrest in the region where we come from,” they said.
“We pray for help because our lives are under threat. We fled to this country because of this and we walked for nine months on the road looking for a stable environment. We therefore seek state assistance in solving our problem.”
Online Reporter