News / Regional
Omalayitsha jailed for child smuggling
12 Jan 2013 at 04:55hrs | Views
TWO unregistered cross-border drivers, commonly known as omalayitsha, were yesterday slapped with sentences ranging between four and seven months for attempting to smuggle eight undocumented people, four of them children, into South Africa through Beitbridge Border Post.
Vincent Mukhabela (40), of House Number 1243 Nkulumane in Bulawayo and Machel Magomo (32), of Farm Number 16, Chivi in Masvingo, were convicted on their own pleas of guilty to contravening a section of the Immigration Act (assisting border jumpers) by Beitbridge resident provincial magistrate, Ms Gloria Takundwa.
Mukhabela was sentenced to 12 months in jail of which five months of his sentence were conditionally suspended for five years.
Magomo was slapped with six months imprisonment, but will serve an effective four months in jail after two months of his sentence were suspended for five years on condition that he does not within the period commit a similar offence.
The prosecutor, Mr Jabulani Mberesi, said on Wednesday at about 1pm, Mukhabela and Magomo arrived at Beitbridge Border Post driving their South African registered vehicles. The two men were each carrying four passengers, who did not have travel documents.
They were intercepted by police officers manning the exit gate leading to the discovery of the undocumented occupants, who were being smuggled into South Africa leading to their arrest.
Vincent Mukhabela (40), of House Number 1243 Nkulumane in Bulawayo and Machel Magomo (32), of Farm Number 16, Chivi in Masvingo, were convicted on their own pleas of guilty to contravening a section of the Immigration Act (assisting border jumpers) by Beitbridge resident provincial magistrate, Ms Gloria Takundwa.
Mukhabela was sentenced to 12 months in jail of which five months of his sentence were conditionally suspended for five years.
Magomo was slapped with six months imprisonment, but will serve an effective four months in jail after two months of his sentence were suspended for five years on condition that he does not within the period commit a similar offence.
The prosecutor, Mr Jabulani Mberesi, said on Wednesday at about 1pm, Mukhabela and Magomo arrived at Beitbridge Border Post driving their South African registered vehicles. The two men were each carrying four passengers, who did not have travel documents.
They were intercepted by police officers manning the exit gate leading to the discovery of the undocumented occupants, who were being smuggled into South Africa leading to their arrest.
Source - TC
