Vusumuzi Dube
Bmetro Reporter
IN a shocking expose of high-level corruption, eight officials at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport have been dragged to court over a human trafficking scandal that saw 23 Ethiopians smuggled out of Zimbabwe.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the accused—comprising immigration officers, ground staff, an intelligence officer, and an aviation security officer—allegedly ran a sophisticated trafficking operation between 15 and 16 March 2025.
They reportedly sneaked the Ethiopian nationals through a VIP route, hiding them overnight in the airport’s Vakacha Lounge before falsifying travel documents to list them as Russians, Turks, Indians, and even Malawians. However, the scheme fell apart when alert immigration officers caught the group attempting to board an Eswatini Airlines flight without transit visas.
The implicated officials include National Handling Services staff Gloria Chikukwa (27) and Ashley Zhaimu (27), as well as four immigration officers: Vincent Shoshore (45), Gondozwa Sunday (39), Terrence Mangwende (43), and Innocent Tawanda Hamandishe (54). Also arrested were aviation security officer Elliot Nhapi (Airports Company of Zimbabwe) and intelligence officer Moses Tadiwanashe Mutambai (29).
Meanwhile, the Ethiopians have already been convicted and each slapped with a fine of US$100 or a three-month jail sentence. The disgraced airport staff have since appeared at Harare Magistrates’ Court and face serious charges of corruption, fraud, and violating immigration laws.
This latest scandal highlights the extent of corruption within Zimbabwe’s immigration system, with the authorities vowing to crack down hard on those abusing their positions of power.
Online Reporter