Botswana

May 2006

  
Passport racketeer deported, (Mmegi, 2006-05-31):-Police in Maun have failed to crack a racket in which a syndicate of Zimbabweans stamp passports for fellow immigrants who have overstayed in the country. Recently, an agent of the organisation, a 20 year-old man was arrested, charged and deported after a client reported him to the police. The man, an illegal immigrant without a passport, only identified himself as Moses. Moses refused to reveal any information about the gang's activities. He was fined for tempering with government documents and deported to Zimbabwe. However, last Friday, Moses was back in front of Maun Shoprite Supermarket, a well-known spot for most criminal activities carried out mostly by Zimbabweans. He had probably resumed duty as a batch of his fellow countrymen were gathered around him. In an interview with Mmegi, most Zimbabweans revealed that the illegal passport-stamping racket has been going on since early last year. Some praised their 'fake' immigration officers as saviours hence now they can stay in Botswana without being bothered by the police. Hairdresser, Sinikiwe Malunga (31) revealed that she has been here for the past seven months. She spends her day marketing in front of Shoprite from where her clients collect her to plait at their homes. "I first got assistance from the gang last August after receiving news that my mother was late. I had overstayed for two months and I knew that I would face hell at the Makalamabedi search point where the police check the validity of days that we are issued at the border. "That evening my boyfriend informed me not to worry as he was going to sort out the problem. He took my passport and when it was returned the next morning, everything was done perfectly. "I couldn't even notice the alteration. I had a safe journey home because both police and immigration officials failed to notice that something had been tempered with," she revealed. Malunga however said her boyfriend has kept the illegal consortium a secret for fear that she may spill the beans if their relationship goes sour. "He just told me that the stamp was bought from an immigration official at Kazungula border post," she said. Pilate Chirenga (20), said he knows about the group but has desisted from using them. He said he was aware that messing around with his passport would breed undesirable consequences because obtaining one was very expensive and difficult in Zimbabwe. "I hear that the guys provide their services at P200 per passport and as of now all those who have used the service have never complained of having any friction with the law. "They overstay as long as they want but once they want to return home they meet the syndicate's agents here at Shoprite. The agents collect cash and passports and send them to someone whose identity has remained concealed," he said. Chirenga further explained that it is not the whole passport stamp that is tempered with, but only the date. "I heard that they use a special liquid to wipe the date and replace it with a new one that will give validity to the days that the client was given at the border. The hand-written days and the signature of the immigration officer remains the same," he said. According to Chirenga, the group also organises work and residence permits for money. A client who had been lied to that her expired days were going to be extended in Maun reported the matter to immigration officials and police after Moses and other members of the group threatened to beat her for refusing to pay them. Linnet Dube (26) said she had refused to pay the remaining balance after noticing that something was wrong on her passport. "Look at the stamp," she said, opening her travelling document. "You can't notice where the problem lies until I point it to you. My date of arrival was 6 October 2005 but they deleted and stamped it to May 2006. "When I asked them to show me the new stamp from the immigration office, they told me to shut up and concentrate on the fact that now I can have a safe journey back home. They demanded their money and I told them to go to hell. I had paid them P 100 in agreement that I was to settle the balance during the hand over of my passport," she said. Linnet also said that members of the mob are dangerous because they are armed with knives and other dangerous weapons. They also steal and resell mobile phones. A vendor who rescued Dube from being battered said the police shouldn't have deported Moses until he revealed their ringleader. He said there was no use in making him pay the admission of guilt fine and deporting him when other members of the group were still at large. "With Dube and her messed up passport, they had all the evidence needed to investigate and find the queen bee of the ring. But it seems that police here believe that everything comes on a silver plate, so they decided to just fine and let loose someone who could have helped them with their investigations," he said. Maun immigration officials denied knowledge of the racket.  
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp