Zim maid in Bots used employer's niece names to acquire ID

A 47-year-old Zimbabwean maid, Tapiwa Mpofu, has pleaded guilty to obtaining the national identity card, Omang, by false pretences.

This emerged at the Francistown magistrate court when Mpofu appeared before a magistrate.

According to the information presented before the court, in 2003, the accused went to the Civil and National Registration offices and informed an official she found that she had lost her Omang.

She further told the Omang official that her names were Keneilwe Malaicha and was born on May 24, 1974. Her application was processed and she was issued with a receipt for the Omang.

"In 2003 the accused was issued with Omang registered 370028605 but she lost her Omang the same year. On September 17, 2009, the accused went back to the Omang offices and re-applied for Omang and was told that she was sharing her Omang number and names with another person," the court heard. She was shown the photo of the person that she was sharing her Omang with.

Keneilwe Malaicha is the nephew of Dutchman Malaicha whom at some point employed the accused as a domestic worker.

"The accused was told to avail the other Keneilwe Malaicha but she never returned to the Omang offices. On January 9, 2013, the real Keneilwe Malaicha went to the Omang offices with a view to change her surname to Mmeileng after she got married," the court heard.

The court heard that the real Keneilwe Malaicha was shown the photo of the person using her names and Omang number in the system and she identified her as Tapiwa Mpofu who once worked for her uncle as a maid. The real Keneilwe Malaicha then reported the matter because it was hindering her from changing her surname. She further went on to show the police where the accused was staying.

Asked why she falsely represented herself, the accused said: "I came to Botswana in 1974 and the person that I worked for told me to apply for Omang using the names I gave to government officials. I thought she was helping me and did not understand anything about Omang. I am very sorry for my actions."

She pleaded with the court not to repatriate her to Zimbabwe because she has children in Botswana.

Basupi reserved mitigation and sentence to April 1 and remanded the accused in custody since she had pleaded guilty.