SA illegal nabbed after eight-year stay

Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A SOUTH African national has been arrested for staying illegally in the country for eight years. Sipho Mkhumbulo Mncube, 36, used an illegal point of entry at the Beitbridge Border Post to enter Zimbabwe in 2007 and was arrested on Saturday. Mncube appeared before a Plumtree magistrate following his arrest in Dingumuzi Beerhall in the border town and pleaded guilty. Magistrate Gideon Ruvetsa fined him $150 for both charges, but will spend 50 days in prison in case of default. Mncube, who will be deported to South Africa, told the court that he had travelled to the country to visit a sick relative but went on to extend his stay as he wanted to pursue business ventures in the country.

Prosecuting, Clemence Shawarira said Mncube of Johannesburg arrived in the country on July 15, 2007. “On a date unknown but during the period extending from January 15, 2007 to October 17, 2015 Mncube entered into the country from South Africa through an ungazetted port of entry at the Beitbridge Border Post,” said Shawarira.

“He remained in the country without a permit or visitor’s entry permit. On October 17, detectives who were on surveillance received information that Mncube was at Dingumuzi Beerhall.”

He said Mncube was arrested and a South African passport was recovered. In another case, a Malawi national has been deported for staying illegally in Zimbabwe after forging his travel documents in a bid to conduct business operations in the country.

Mohammed Irvine, 23, of Blantyre stayed in the country illegally for two months and was arrested at the Plumtree Border Post on September 18 after immigration officials noticed that his passport had fake Zimbabwean immigration stamps.

He pleaded guilty before Ruvetsa facing charges of forging a travel document. The Malawian was ordered to pay $50 fine or spend 20 days in prison in default. Irvine told the court that he had assigned someone to get his passport stamped during his illegal stay, but did not know that the stamps were fake.

“I’m sorry your worship, I was still doing some business in the country and someone offered to get my passport stamped and I paid them. I didn’t know that the stamps were fake,” he said. “I had travelled to do some business and my passport expired before I could finish but I still needed to stay longer,” he said.