Four Somali family members deported

Plumtree Correspondent
FOUR Somalis belonging to the same family among them a three-year-old child were deported to Botswana after trying to settle in the country illegally.
The family was denied a refugee status after immigration officials discovered that they were registered refugees in Botswana.
The family, Iman Mohammed Sharis, 38, Ibraham Ahmed Mohammed, 40, Fathiya Nour Hachi, 32, and the three-year-old were transferred to the Plumtree immigration office on Thursday.

Assistant regional immigration officer-in-charge of the compliance office, Francis Mabika said the family was deported to Botswana through the Plumtree border post on Thursday.

“The Somalis came to Zimbabwe in pursuit of a refugee status but we discovered that they were registered as refugees in Botswana. Therefore they were taken from Harare to the immigration office in Plumtree for deportation to Botswana.

“They were deported on Thursday. It is our duty to ensure that all immigrants who do not comply with requirements are deported,” said Mabika.

In a related incident two Somali refugees that were fleeing xenophobic attacks in South Africa were recently arrested at the Plumtree Border Post while attempting to illegally enter the country with the assistance of a (Zimbabwe United Passenger Company) Zupco bus crew.

Abshir Abdiemi, 25, and his wife Ekran Hamed Ali, 23, were on their way to Harare to seek refugee status.
On reaching the Plumtree Border Post they remained in the bus as per an arrangement with the bus crew.
The bus crew submitted a passenger list to the authorities which did not contain the names of the Somalis.

An immigration official received a tip-off on the existence of the two foreigners which led to their arrest and that of two members of the Zupco bus crew, Blessing Mutimhima, 31, and Daniel Sitono, 27, who had connived with the Somalis.