UK deportees: Rapists, murderers leave trail of broken lives

Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom are divided on the deportations of their counterparts, mainly criminals living in that country who have served more than a year in prison.  Many opposition groups in the UK have made so much noise and tried everything under the sun to avoid deportation.  But what is deportation?

Deportation is the removal of an alien out of the country, simply because his/her presence is deemed inconsistent with the public welfare and without any punishment being imposed or contemplated either under the laws of the country out of which he/she is sent to the country to which he/she is taken.

Some Britons have argued that mass deportations would not grow their economy. In fact, it would cause citizens to lose their jobs and would lower everyone's wages. But the deportations done at the moment are for those classified as foreign criminals.  

They have committed some horrible crimes and deporting them back home to their families is a best idea.

Jasper from Manchester said: "My daughter was raped by my friend when she was 10. During his trial, my friend confessed that he was HIV positive and that he was told by a prophet that he will be healed if he was to rape a virgin who is 10 years.  

"My daughter is now living with HIV and does not want to stay in the house alone. She is so afraid to be near any man. She no longer has a life. This beast was only given 10 years and he will be out in five.  

"He is now on the list of the deportees. What pains me most is the MDC in the UK who are fighting for him to stay. How can my daughter even face him? This man is now saying he must not be deported and he wants to stay in the UK. I would have loved to see him dead. Can you begin to imagine the life my daughter is living." Moris from London was in tears.  

"I don't understand these human rights organisations and these opposition guys. One of the deportees killed my sister in cold blood. He just thought my sister was cheating. He stabbed her 32 times on the chest, neck and head.  

"She died a painful death. This killer is hiding behind human rights. What is this world coming to?"

Mandie, now 20, said: "I saw my mum being killed by her boyfriend. I heard her scream down stairs. I rushed down only to see blood splashing out of my mother's chest as this guy was stabbing her as if he was killing an animal.  "My mum could not scream, the pain had overwhelmed her. I jumped through the window to alert the neighbours. I remember all the neighbours refusing to help, they were afraid. They called the police who arrived within minutes.  

"I went back in the house and the site which met my eyes will never disappear. Time has failed to heal and age has not done anything. I saw my mum covered in blood, barely alive. I was rushed out of the room by the police. While I was outside I saw this vampire being led to the police van. I could not look at him. My heart sank. I was only 10 years old then.  

"Now 10 years down the line, I am told the MDC UK and the human rights organisations are fighting for this killer to stay in the UK. Near me. The idea that this guy will be released into this community is sickening. What will stop him from killing me. These human rights do not consider me. Do they?"  

Mandie sobbed uncontrollably as she walked away.  "In theory, the country where people should be deported to is their home land," commented Ngoni from London.

"So, why do they act as if they are removed to the bush? They are being deported to a country where they are welcome.  "I really do not think there is anything wrong with these deportations. If it is not their home country, they may, with 'luck"' be located in a refugee camp. If not that lucky, in a detention camp. In my own way I would treat them very badly, or send them to jail or even kill them."  We must always remember that deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country.

The term expulsion is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation is more used in national (municipal) law.  

Forced displacement or forced migration of an individual or a group may be caused by deportation, for example ethnic cleansing, and other reasons.  A person who has been deported or is under sentence of deportation is called a deportee.

Madeline from Leeds said: "This guy (name supplied) raped me in front of my child. When he finished he laughed and said, 'hauna kunakirwa here' and he slapped me across my face. All this time my hands were tied and mouth gagged. I can never be myself again. Now I am told this animal is free and refusing to go back home."  

Another Zimbabwean girl, who refused to be named said: "Until a few weeks ago, I was working as a carer at a care home in a suburb of Atlanta. I was saving money for law school and hoped to practice as an immigration attorney. Then, my world came crashing down: I was told that my father whose visa I was a dependant on was to be deported.  

"I don't believe that my father had committed a crime. He was a victim of mistaken identity. The British government revoked my status as a dependant of my father that gives work and study permits to dependants. Now I can't work or drive and I'm afraid to leave the house, because without the visa I have no legal permission to be here.

"What happened to me could happen to any one of the 750 000 young people whose entire lives depend on this lifeline the UK government extended to us through the visa's of our parents.  

"When I first came to the United Kingdom from Zimbabwe, I was three years old and had no idea my family had no status. But I noticed my dad, who had been a truck driver in Zimbabwe was nervous about driving.  "Before getting into the car, he'd walk around it to check that all its lights were working, and he'd make sure that we all had our seat belts buckled – doing whatever he could to pre-empt any reason for being pulled over by the police.  

"Once, when he was cited with a traffic violation, my parents were deeply upset. My siblings and I didn't understand why; they told us it was because my dad didn't have a visa. When he got the visa there was joy in the family.  

"This joy was short lived after dad was arrested for armed robbery and theft. Some white girls just pointed him out as he was coming out of a shop. They insisted it was him. Now he is being deported as he served two years in prison. I am 17  and my visa has been cancelled because I am his defendant." To date, the broken British immigration system calls for the deportation of approximately 10 000  Zimbabwean illegal immigrants.

There are currently two ways of removing illegal immigrants from the United Kingdom.  One way is to make living conditions in the UK so unbearable for them that they would eventually have to return to their country of origin.  

The British have been doing this, and they have become so hostile as to suggest racism, argued Herbert Munetsi of Highfields Leicester. The other is to directly deport them as being done now.  But how much would deporting these immigrants cost? It would cost millions to deport all the illegal immigrants currently in the UK and an additional lot more to enforce this policy for the next five years.   

In total, the cost of deporting illegal immigrants back to their countries would cost the tax payers 50 billion pounds.

This will mean that every single person in the UK will have to pay additional several pounds in taxes every year. Ashton Bhunu of Nottingham observed that "allowing the illegal immigrants to stay in the UK, however, will result in an increase in the country's Gross Domestic Product over the next 10 years." So, what are the cons of deporting illegal immigrants? An outrageous increase in taxes and a severe Gross Domestic Product loss!  

 What are the pros of deporting illegal immigrants? There are none.  This brings us back to the question: "To deport or not to deport?" and the answer is obvious.  But the issue is not about the deportation of just illegal immigrants. The UK government is deporting the criminals and many of them have caused grief to many people.  Mavis Matapo is a 17-year-old Zimbabwean living in the UK. She is so scared to go outside her parents house alone and she shivers with fear each time she hears a male voice. Her life was shattered the day she attended a birthday party in Luton. After the party, Mavis was raped by a group of Zimbabwean teenagers who were at the party.  

They left her in the house undressed and bleeding. Her parents were so angry and blamed her for being raped.  With the help of some charitable organisations, Mavis managed to make a report to the police. Her abusers were arrested and each sentenced to five years in prison.  They are already out, but the trauma has not left Mavis. Her life is in pieces.

These sexual abusers are now pursuing their dreams without looking back at what they did to Mavis.  Three of Mavis' abusers were arrested again for another sexual offence. They are about to finish their sentence.  The trail of broken lives left behind by these "vampires" is horrible. The British government has moved in to deport them and the Zimbabwean community has started crying foul.   

Now, the issue of these deportations has become a dividing issue.  Some senior opposition members and G40 parrots like Jonathan Moyo have urged the UK government to stop the deportations.  There will be some unfortunate individuals who may be deported, but mostly the deportees are given enough chance to fight their cases in open courts.  Once the legal route is exhausted, deportation will follow.  

Some Zimbabwean lawyers have taken advantage of these deportations and have started to cash in on the panicking illegal immigrants.  Zimbabweans must learn to love their country so that when one is door closed,  they must be able to open another door.