Family's fight to stop UK deporting carer ‘to her death' in Zimbabwe

An 'irreplaceable' carer fears she will be abducted or murdered if the Home Office deports her back to Zimbabwe.

Siphiwe 'Pewie' Moyo, 34, came to the UK in 2007 to escape political persecution and has been caring for quadriplegic Yvie Gade for the past nine years. The pair have formed a ‘unique bond' over the years, with Pewie becoming a 'part of the family' as she cared for Yvie round the clock.

But Yvie's partner Karen Attwell said the Home Office told her to ‘just get another worker' and refused Pewie's visa permission.

"But they've missed the point totally," she said.

"Pewie is very much a part of the family. She's lived in our home for nine years. 'She's spent more time with us than anybody else."

Pewie says she is living on "the edge" and has been "in out and of therapy" as she battled depression over the situation.

She told metro.co.uk: "It's hard for me to pretend that everything is okay in front of Yvie while I've got this going on.

"It's made life so difficult. And it's getting worse and worse as all the time I have to think "what next, what is going to happen?"'

The 34-year-old, who is a member of Zimbabwe's opposition party Movement for Democratic Change, said the government back home believes people like her have been ‘selling them out'.

"Some people have been sent back and never seen again," she said.

"I don't know what will happen to me if I go. I've been having sleepless nights. I don't know if they will take me today or tomorrow. I don't know if that will be the end of me.

"My family in Zimbabwe says it's terrible. People are being burned and killed. I have a son and he lives in a boarding school. So I'm calling him to find out what's going on.

"I found out on the news that everyone who has a kid in a boarding school should take them out. 'My son is 16 now. I haven't seen him since he was four and I want to see him.

"My plan is for him to come and stay with me but if the Home Office keeps doing what they're doing I don't know if it's possible."

Karen, who also been diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, said Yvie "just glows" when Pewie is around at their home in Trull, Somerset.

"Yvie has a very serious head injury from the first aneurysm that she had 10 years ago now," Karen said.

"In all that time we've had carers come and go but Pewie has stayed with us. Yvie's had some really terrible treatment from some of the carers that we've had.

"It's not that we haven't tried other carers, but when you get one like Pewie you don't want to let them go.

"I don't think the Home Office even understands what live-in carers are about.

"Everybody sees her as family now. Everybody is attached to her and everybody knows how attached she is to us as well."

Echoing Karen, Pewie says she sees Yvie as her ‘sister' and does not want other carers mistreating her.

She added: "I promised to Yvie that I would be there for her no matter what happens, but when you don't have any power to challenge the Home Office, it's just so hard."

The Home Office confirmed deportation would only happen if a safe return was guaranteed.

A spokesperson said: "All applications are considered on their individual merits, on the basis of the evidence available and in line with UK immigration rules.

"Where applications are refused removal is only enforced when we and the courts conclude that it is safe to do so, with a safe route of return."