adminElizabeth Tsuro Midlands Reporter
TWENTY-THREE illegal Ethiopian immigrants are facing deportation.
Soldiers stumbled on the immigrants sleeping in a bush near an army camp in Redcliff.
Mulumen Mentose Kelbore, 35, and 22 of his countrymen appeared before Kwekwe Resident Magistrate Taurai Manwere charged with entering the country through an undesignated port of entry. They all pleaded guilty and were remanded in custody to March 9 for sentence.
Prosecuting, Moreblessing Gadze told the court that on a date unknown but during the month of February this year, the Ethiopians were enroute to South Africa.
“On March 1, and at a bushy area near one Air Defence Regiment Camp, in Redcliff, Brigadiers Madya, Nyakwima and General Chiunza from the Zimbabwe National Army who were on patrol came across the accused persons whilst they were asleep in a bushy area near the regiment camp,” said Gadze.
Gadze said the soldiers approached the 23 men, interviewed and searched them.
The court heard they discovered that they were illegal Ethiopian immigrants.
“Of the 23, six of them had passports which were last stamped at Kenya Immigration Border Office on February 1.”
derick.khumalo