A 38-year-old an from Equitorial Guinea has been deported from Zimbabwe.
Bulawayo 24 reports the man has been in the country since 2014 without a valid permit. Apart from being deported, he has also been sentenced to pay a fine of US$100.
The man, Angue Benjamin Nchama was convicted of violating Zimbabwe’s Immigration Act by remaining in the country without a valid visitor’s certificate.
A Bulawayo magistrate, Mr Ernest Muzembe, handed out down the sentence. The judge noted that the accused did not have the necessary documents to stay in Zimbabwe. He emphasized that this was strict liability, meaning that the prosecution did not need to prove Nchama’s intent to violate immigration laws.
“His continued stay in Zimbabwe, without the proper documentation, poses a risk to national security,” said Mr Muzembe while referencing the concerns raised by the Chief Immigration Officer, Mr Godfrey Kondo.
Nchama is a former student at Bulawayo Polytechnic College. He arrived in Zimbabwe in 2014 on a student visa that expired in January 2025. Despite several extensions, he failed to renew his permit and continued residing in the country unlawfully. his case came to light when Nchama was in Harare where he had been taken to court by his girlfriend’s mother, Ms Gertrude Makwanba, who sought a protection order against him.
She alleged that Nchama had been violent towards her, blaming her for not properly grooming his girlfriend and accusing her of hiring men to engage with her daughter. The allegations of assault were a key part of te legal proceedings.
In addition to the fine and deportation order, Nchama’s four-month prison sentence was suspended. He will now be deported back to his home country, where he will face further consequences for his actions.
