South Africans detained in Zimbabwe for illegal entry face deportation

Zimbabwean authorities have detained several South African nationals at Harare Remand Prison for violating immigration laws and are holding them until they are deported.

While some South Africans await deportation, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) reports that three South African men will stand trial in Zimbabwe on charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Meanwhile, the ZHRC reports that a Zimbabwean court has convicted a South African woman of dealing in dangerous drugs and sentenced her to 10 years in jail.

Certified South Africans cleared for deportation

ZHRC chairperson Jessie Majome told IOL that officials had confirmed six men held at Harare Remand Prison as South African nationals.

She explained that South Africa’s High Commission had verified their identities, and they are now ready for deportation.

However, she added that the South African diplomatic mission informed Zimbabwean authorities that a seventh elderly man is not a South African citizen, so officials will not deport him to South Africa.

Concerns over the treatment of foreign detainees

Majome said she visited the prison and found 66 foreign nationals held in the men’s section.

“It is an issue of concern to the Commission because it involves a special category of people who should not be in prison,” she said.

She stressed that authorities should not treat people arrested for irregular immigration like suspects awaiting trial, even though the offence is illegal.