Buyanga appeal dismissed, businessman remains in SA jail

SOUTH African-based Zimbabwean businessman Frank Buyanga's appeal against denial of bail on charges of violating South African immigration rules has been dismissed.

Buyanga, who has been in jail since his arrest on November 10 for child trafficking, was further remanded in prison to 7 March.

On the child kidnapping charges, Buyanga was remanded to 27 March.

Buyanga was given R150 000 bail at the Randburg Magistrates Court in Johannesburg on allegations of kidnapping his son in Harare in 2020 and on charges of contempt of court.

But Buyanga did not test freedom after he was immediately rearrested on charges of breaching South African immigration laws.

After his arrest in November, Buyanga appeared before the Randburg Magistrates Court where he was remanded in custody to allow South African authorities to also verify his identity documents.

This was after it was found that Buyanga's South African identity documents showed he was born in Zimbabwe, yet his Zimbabwean passport indicated he was born in the United Kingdom.

Part of the reason he was denied bail is that he has two convictions in the United Kingdom and that he was using three different Zimbabwean passports.

Buyanga has applied for a UK passport which he has not collected yet.