daniel chigunwe
Zvikomborero Parafini
YET another foreign national managed to fraudulently acquire Zimbabwean identity documents, including a passport.
She was arrested at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport over the weekend. Her case comes at a time focus has been on four Cameroonians who also duped the system and obtained local documents to fraudulently change their names.
Zakia Abdul Ahmed, who is Ghanaian, was not asked to plead when she appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi yesterday.
She is being accused of fraud and violating the Immigration Act.
The State, represented by Rufaro Chonzi, alleged that Ahmed entered Zimbabwe by evasion and remained in the country, without a valid permit authorising her to stay here.
It is alleged that Ahmed went on to obtain Zimbabwean identity documents to regularise her stay in this country.
On September 17, 2018, Ahmed, in connivance with Lyner Mufanachiya who is at large, went to Mutoko Registry Offices where they supplied false information to the Civil Registry Office that Ahmed was a Zimbabwean national.
Ahmed went by the name Takudzwa Zakia Mufanachiya.
They claimed she was born on May 15, 2000, in Chimuti Village, Chief Chimoyo, Mutoko, and her mother is Lyner Mufanachiya, who was born in Mudzi.
Due to this misrepresentation, Ahmed was issued with a Zimbabwean birth certificate number MTK-01645-18.
Using the fraudulently acquired birth certificate, Ahmed went on to obtain a Zimbabwean national identity card.
On January 29, this year, Ahmed was issued with a Zimbabwean passport.
The passport is expiring on January 28, 2034.
On Thursday, Ahmed proceeded to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and produced the Zimbabwean passport in the name Takudzwa Zakia Mufanachiya during check in.
During verification of the documents, Ahmed failed to express herself in any of the Zimbabwean languages leading Immigration officials to investigate further.
She was interviewed and indicated that she was a Ghanaian national and her real name is Zakia Abdul Ahmed Issah.
This led to her arrest.
Online Reporter