Zimbabwe deports 29 undocumented Mozambicans

Zimbabwean authorities have deported 29 undocumented Mozambican nationals after they were intercepted in Chipinge, Mutare and Harare and found to be living in the country illegally.

The group was received at the Machipanda Border Post by a Mozambican multi-sectoral team made up of Migration Services, the Provincial Directorate of Gender, Children and Social Action (DPGC), Social Action officials and the Provincial Prosecutor's Office.

Authorities said 28 of the deportees were boys aged between 14 and 18, while the remaining individual was a visually impaired adult man.

According to officials, some of the minors were involved in informal street vending activities, while one of them reportedly assisted the visually impaired man in begging.

The deported individuals are originally from the Mozambican areas of Chimoio, Manica, Dombe, Muxúngue and Chibabava.

The latest deportation marks the second group of Mozambican nationals to be repatriated from Zimbabwe since the beginning of the year. In a similar incident earlier this year, Zimbabwean authorities deported another 39 Mozambican citizens who were also found to be in the country unlawfully.

Officials from both countries continue to monitor irregular migration movements along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, with authorities emphasizing the need to protect vulnerable minors while enforcing immigration laws.