News / National
CIO charged with human trafficking
27 Mar 2025 at 06:20hrs | Views
A member of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), Moses Mutambai, along with six co-accused individuals, was denied bail yesterday when they appeared before the Harare Magistrates Court facing charges of human trafficking.
Mutambai, who was stationed at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, was represented by lawyer Brighton Sadowera. His co-accused are Gloria Chikukwa, Ashley Zhaimu, Vincent Shoshore, Gondoza Sunday, Terrence Mangwende, and Innocent Hamandishe. They were all jointly charged for allegedly facilitating the illegal transit of Ethiopian nationals through Zimbabwe.
The complainant in the case is the Department of Immigration Control, represented by Leslie Chakawuya, the regional immigration officer at the airport. According to the State's case, the incident occurred on March 15 this year when five Ethiopian nationals arrived at the airport aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight number ET 873 from Addis Ababa, en route to Eswatini.
The accused persons allegedly prearranged the Ethiopians' reception upon arrival. Chikukwa and Zhaimu are accused of escorting the immigrants through the VIP route to the Vakacha Lounge, which is usually reserved for VIP personnel, where they waited for the next flight to Eswatini scheduled for the following day. The rest of the accused, who were airport officials, allegedly failed to inform their superiors or colleagues about the presence of the Ethiopians.
It is alleged that the accused directed the Ethiopians to board an Eswatini Airline flight (RN401) to Manzini, Eswatini, bypassing the usual transit route and necessary documentation checks. The illegal activities were uncovered when immigration officials, not involved in the scheme, received information about passengers boarding the flight without the necessary transit visas.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that the flight manifest had been tampered with, and a subsequent physical search revealed that 23 Ethiopians had been illegally allowed to board the flight without transit visas. The Ethiopian nationals were arrested, and upon appearing in court, each was fined US$100 or sentenced to three months in prison.
The accused persons have since been remanded in custody pending further investigations into the human trafficking network. The court will continue to hear the case as authorities intensify their efforts to curb such illegal activities at Zimbabwe's major airports.
Mutambai, who was stationed at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, was represented by lawyer Brighton Sadowera. His co-accused are Gloria Chikukwa, Ashley Zhaimu, Vincent Shoshore, Gondoza Sunday, Terrence Mangwende, and Innocent Hamandishe. They were all jointly charged for allegedly facilitating the illegal transit of Ethiopian nationals through Zimbabwe.
The complainant in the case is the Department of Immigration Control, represented by Leslie Chakawuya, the regional immigration officer at the airport. According to the State's case, the incident occurred on March 15 this year when five Ethiopian nationals arrived at the airport aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight number ET 873 from Addis Ababa, en route to Eswatini.
It is alleged that the accused directed the Ethiopians to board an Eswatini Airline flight (RN401) to Manzini, Eswatini, bypassing the usual transit route and necessary documentation checks. The illegal activities were uncovered when immigration officials, not involved in the scheme, received information about passengers boarding the flight without the necessary transit visas.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that the flight manifest had been tampered with, and a subsequent physical search revealed that 23 Ethiopians had been illegally allowed to board the flight without transit visas. The Ethiopian nationals were arrested, and upon appearing in court, each was fined US$100 or sentenced to three months in prison.
The accused persons have since been remanded in custody pending further investigations into the human trafficking network. The court will continue to hear the case as authorities intensify their efforts to curb such illegal activities at Zimbabwe's major airports.
Source - newsday
