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11-02-2022 – The Mpulungu Immigration Office on 9th February 2022 secured the conviction of a 24-year-old Zambian peasant farmer, Kamona Emele for knowingly assisting a 23-year-old Tanzanian illegal immigrant Ibrahim Mohamad Kingwende to conduct his business as a witch doctor by providing him interpretation services from Swahili to Lungu and visa versa.  He was sentenced to pay a fine of K 60,000 or in default 24 months simple imprisonment.

Kamona Emele was apprehended on 25th January 2022 at Posa Village in Mpulungu following reports from some members of the community of the presence in that Village of three (03) Tanzanian witch doctors who were allegedly offering their services to the locals, with help of the Zambian interpreter. Upon seeing the Officers, the Tanzanians managed to escape but Kamona Emele was not so lucky as the Officers who themselves had to escape an enraged mob of villagers who were protecting the Tanzanians managed to apprehend Kamona Emele. The Officers later apprehended Ibrahim Mohamad Kingwende who was positively identified by Kamona Emele as one of the Tanzanians for whom he interpreted and was later charged for unlawful stay and engaging in work without a permit contrary to sections 11(3) and 54 of the Immigration and Deportation Act No. 18 of 2010 of the Laws of Zambia, respectively. Ibrahim Mohamad Kingwende was convicted and sentenced to pay a fine of K 15,000 or in default 9 months simple imprisonment in both counts. This brings the number of convictions secured by the Department of Immigration between 9th and 10th February 2022 to Twenty-Five (25).

In another development, the Kasumbalesa Immigration Office on 10th February 2022 apprehended nine (19) suspected illegal immigrants in a snap clean-up operation conducted at the Kasumbalesa Market. The sixteen (16) Congolese and three (03) Eritreans were nabbed when they were founding trading within the market after they failed to produce documents of national identity when requested to do so by the Officers.  They are currently detained at Kasumbalesa Police Post pending further formalities. This brings the number of persons apprehended by the Department of Immigration between 9th and 10th February 2022 to Sixty (60). During this same period, the Department also removed Thirteen (13) illegal immigrants from the country and refused Three (03) foreign nationals entry into the country for failing to meet entry requirements.

The Department has noted with concern a growing trend among Zambians where they are renting-out market stalls and containers allocated to them by the local authorities to foreigners whose immigration status does not permit. We wish to warn such to desist from such practices they are tantamount to harbouring, aiding, and abetting, offences which as seen from the Mpulungu court outcome, carry very severe punishment.  We also wish to warn members of the public to desist from obstructing Officers in the execution of duty.