1-06-2022 – In the early hours of Wednesday, 1st June 2022, the Department removed One Hundred and Ninety (190) illegal immigrants from the country. In addition, we relocated Ninety Five (95) Refugees of different nationalities in a mass removal and relocation exercise. Those removed and relocated were among the Three-Hundred and Thirteen (313) detained in the three-day clean-up operation recently conducted in various parts of Lusaka. The Department relocated the refugees to Mayukwayukwa and Maheba Refugee Camps as they had no authority to be outside the refugee camps. The Department released the other Twenty-Eight (28) upon production of proof of valid immigration status. In other parts of the country, the Department, between 30th and 31st May, 2022 also removed Fifty (50) illegal immigrants from the country.
Meanwhile, the Mpika Immigration Office, on 30th May, 2022 secured the conviction of three (03) Tanzanian Truck Divers, Mashemb Benson (30), Ahmed Mohamed (29), and Kambona Malale (36), for the offences of aiding illegal immigrants to enter Zambia contrary to section 46(1)(a)(2) of the Immigration and Deportation Act Number 18 of 2010. They were each sentenced to pay a fine of K 60,000 or, in default, two years simple imprisonment. The Mpika convictions bring the number of convictions secured by the Department between 30th and 31st May 2022 to Fifty-Three (53). During this period, the Department also apprehended Thirty-Three (33) persons for various immigration offences countrywide
The convictions of the three (03) Drivers in Mpika must serve as a warning to any person having similar ideas. Like harbouring, aiding is a grave offence, and the punishment meted on the three (03) Tanzanians is only the minimum, the maximum being K 150,000 or 5 years. We also wish to urge refugees to get the necessary permission to leave the refugee settlements.
