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LATEST: Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume Arrested Again

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 15:40:01 +0000

LATEST: Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume Arrested Again admin Mon, 12/14/2020 - 15:40

Monday, December 14, 2020

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NewZimbabwe.com

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LATEST: Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume Arrested Again

By Mary Taruvinga

EMBATTLED Harare mayor, Jacob Mafume has been arrested again.

He was picked up by Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) officers at Rottenrow magistrates court where he was appearing for his routine remand over a matter he was arrested for before.

His lawyer, Tonderai Bhatasara has confirmed the fresh development.

“Yes, the mayor has been arrested. No charge has been preferred against him as yet. However, the officers are trying to put together a charge of interfering with a witness in his case. More details will be available later,” Bhatsara told NewZimbabwe.com.

The mayor’s arrest comes a week after he was granted $30 000 bail by High Court judge Benjamin Chikowero on a charge of abusing his office as a public officer.

It is the state’s case that he forced officials at Harare City Council to give his sister and a colleague residential stands in Harare’s Westlea suburb.

He denies the allegations and is yet to stand trial.

Mafume was granted bail after appealing against Harare magistrate Bianca Makwande’s denial of his bail request.

The magistrate had said he had propensity to interfere with witnesses considering that he held the highest office.

The post LATEST: Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume Arrested Again appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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SA: Foundation challenges in court Govt decision to terminate Exemption Permit for 178 000 Zimbabweans

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SA: Foundation challenges in court Govt decision to terminate Exemption Permit for 178 000 Zimbabweans

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admin Mon, 06/20/2022 - 07:20

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

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SA: Foundation challenges in court Govt decision to terminate Exemption Permit …

By News24.com

SOUTH AFRICA: The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) launched legal action to challenge Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s decision to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP).

The ZEP, which ended on 31 December 2021, will not be extended.

Those with a permit have a 12-month grace period to either apply for another type of permit or leave the country.

Motsoaledi’s decision was supported by Cabinet.

“It is not the position of HSF that those migrants who are in South Africa unlawfully should be entitled to remain, nor even that the ZEP must continue in perpetuity,” the foundation said.

“Rather, our position is that those who have scrupulously observed South Africa’s laws in order to live and work here, under the ZEP, cannot have such permits terminated without fair process, good reason and a meaningful opportunity to regularise their status. It is what our constitutional order demands.”

In November 2021, Cabinet made the decision not to renew the ZEP.

READ | Human toes trade in Zimbabwe dismissed as a hoax

It raised the ire of Zimbabweans and rights groups, who approached the court on an urgent basis. They were, however, unsuccessful.

Civil rights groups argued it would be impossible for current permit holders to successfully apply for other permits.

The foundation said: “This special dispensation regime has offered legal protection to approximately 178 000 Zimbabwean nationals, allowing them to live, work and study in South Africa. It has prevailed for well over a decade, meaning that permit-holders have built lives, families and careers here, and contributed to South Africa and its economy.

“At present, ZEP holders must have obtained other forms of residency authorisation — in the vast majority of cases, an almost impossible requirement — by 31 December 2022 or leave South Africa.

“They will be put to a desperate choice: to remain in South Africa as undocumented migrants with all the vulnerability that attaches to such status or return to a Zimbabwe that, to all intents and purposes, is unchanged from the country they fled.

“There are thousands of children, who have been born in South Africa to ZEP holders during this time, who have never even visited their parents’ country of origin.”

The post SA: Foundation challenges in court Govt decision to terminate Exemption Permit for 178 000 Zimbabweans appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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“Make Mnangagwa’s Life ‘Uneasy’ Through Demos”: UK MPs Urge Zimbabweans

admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 22:40:01 +0000

“Make Mnangagwa’s Life ‘Uneasy’ Through Demos”: UK MPs Urge Zimbabweans

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admin Mon, 02/21/2022 - 22:40

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

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“Make Mnangagwa’s Life ‘Uneasy’ Through Demos”: UK MPs Urge Zimbabweans

By Staff Reporter

UNITED KINGDOM (UK) House of Lords MPs say Zimbabweans living in that country should be allowed to stage peaceful demonstrations at the Zimbabwe Embassy in London to make the life of diplomats at the high commission “uneasy”.

The MPs made the call Monday during a debate on removing the UK’s Constitution Clause 56 subsection, which deals on the imposition on public processions conditions related to making noise.

However, the debate later turned on Zimbabwe as the UK MPs felt if the clause was not removed, it would affect thousands of Zimbabweans living in Britain who gather every Saturday at the Zimbabwean Embassy to demonstrate against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.

“Every Saturday, the Zimbabwean diaspora turn up outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, sing very loudly, and play their drums and music in a loud way,” Baroness Kate Hoey said in the House of Lords.

“Who is going to decide whether that is bringing unease to people? It certainly brings unease to Mnangagwa in Zimbabwe, I hope. This is something on which I am sure the Minister is sitting there and thinking, “Why on earth are we doing this?” I hope that even at this stage, the government will not press these ridiculous amendments,” she added.

Hoey was supported by Lord Cormack.

He said: “The noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, was right when she talked about Zimbabwe. Do we wish to see regimes like that continue to repress their people?

“Is not it right that those living in this country should have a right to make life a little uncomfortable for those who live in the Zimbabwean high commission? It is just silly to put this in. A Bill that is injected with a dose of stupidity is a not a very good Bill.”

Last November, senior Zanu PF officials, and MPs reacted angrily to calls by UK MPs for Harare to uphold the rule of law and stop political persecution.

The UK legislators were raising concerns over the continued incarceration of MDC Alliance youth activist, Makomborero Haruzivishe.

The opposition member was finally released from remand prison early this year after spending 10 months in jail.

The post “Make Mnangagwa’s Life ‘Uneasy’ Through Demos”: UK MPs Urge Zimbabweans appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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‘We Want Zimbabweans To Work In SA’: Malema

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‘We Want Zimbabweans To Work In SA’: Malema

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admin Mon, 02/21/2022 - 22:30

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

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‘We Want Zimbabweans To Work In SA’: Malema

TimesLIVE

EFF leader Julius Malema has appealed to employers to give South Africans preference as the country faces an all-time high youth unemployment rate of 66.5%.

“We want to make an emphasis to the owners of restaurants that no-one should stop employing Zimbabweans and say the EFF said they don’t want them,” he said on Wednesday.

“We want Zimbabweans to work in SA. It is their home. They should make no apologies about hiring Zimbabweans or any other African brother or sister. In doing so, they must be considerate that there are locals who must at all times be given preference.”

He was speaking to journalists after visiting restaurants in the Mall of Africa in Midrand.

Shortly after arriving with a handful of supporters, he was declined entry at Kream restaurant.

A manager told Malema he would not be allowed inside and handed him a letter. Malema, however, would not take no for an answer and stood at the door until he was allowed inside.

“Kream leadership apologised for their misbehaviour and blamed it on their legal department, that someone gave them a legal letter not to engage us. But after engaging us outside the restaurant, they realised there is no need not to engage,” said Malema.

“I don’t understand why they were refusing to engage because they all had their facts in order. They were ready to prove to us they are indeed compliant, trying to employ as many South Africans [as possible].”

Malema said Kream’s conduct was unfortunate, but he accepted their apology.

“Ours is to ensure the rights of workers are protected and South Africans are given priority when it comes to employment. But that does not mean our Zimbabwean, Lesotho, eSwatini and fellow African brothers and sisters should not be employed.”

He also visited Ponto and Doppio Zero restaurants and expressed satisfaction with their levels of compliance in employing as many South Africans as possible.

The party also raised the issue of compensation, particularly around tips. Malema was thrilled to learn all three restaurants were paying workers more than the minimum national wage.

“Workers must be guaranteed a salary. They must know how much are they earning.”

The party vowed to visit more businesses to ensure fair representation in the workplace.

Malema said, though they were pro-African, the party had a responsibility to ensure the interests of their electorate were prioritised. In the event where African nationals were not hired, Malema said he would intervene.

“We will be the first [to intervene] if we hear Zimbabweans are not being hired in SA, but there cannot be an exclusive situation which excludes South Africans. That point has been received well, and we all agree we have a problem of high unemployment and poverty and it can only be resolved through employment.

“We are highly encouraged that we are singing from the same hymn book and we have our eyes and ears on the ground to inform us when things are not going accordingly.”

The post ‘We Want Zimbabweans To Work In SA’: Malema appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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UK: Terrorism trial of MDC activist starts; ‘urged’ bombing of Mnangagwa motorcade, Zanu PF HQ

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UK: Terrorism trial of MDC activist starts; ‘urged’ bombing of Mnangagwa motorcade, Zanu PF HQ

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admin Mon, 02/21/2022 - 22:20

Thursday, January 20, 2022

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UK: Terrorism trial of MDC activist starts; ‘urged’ bombing of Mnangagwa motorc…

By dailymail.co.uk

Teacher William Chinyanga, 51, has been charged with encouraging terrorism
The Zimbabwean activist allegedly called on followers to ‘open gunfire on a gathering of people’ in his home country
Court heard remarks were made in Facebook videos to 7,000 followers
Chinyanga said to be MDC-alliance campaigner opposing Zanu-PF government
Teacher, of Archway, London denies with four counts of encouraging terrorism

A Zimbabwean activist called on his followers to carry out terrorist attacks to overthrow his country’s regime in a series of speeches, a court heard.

William Chinyanga, 51, is accused of encouraging bombings in the south-east African country in four speeches to 7,000 followers on social media over two days in December 2019.

It is claimed the supply teacher, who lives in north London, told Facebook followers to ‘open gunfire on a gathering of people’ and use ‘gorilla warfare’.

Chinyanga is understood to be a campaigner for MDC-alliance, a multi-party political bloc that opposes Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu-PF government in Zimbabwe.

The Old Bailey was told he has been charged with four counts of encouraging terrorism, which he denies.

Prosecutor Sean Larkin QC said Chinyanga, who was born in Zimbabwe, sought asylum in 2009 and was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK

“There is no dispute he is an opponent of the Zimbabwean government,” he continued.

“He had a Facebook account and over a two-day period, the 1st and 2nd December 2019 he livestreamed four speeches to his Facebook followers, over 7,000 followers.

Teacher William Chinyanga, 51,

“He speaks in a mixture of English and Shona and he speaks against the Zimbabwean government.

“The prosecution case is that he went far beyond legitimate complaint or protest against the government and committed the offences with which he is charged.’

Jurors were told that Chinyanga was a ‘long-standing opponent of the Zimbabwean regime’ although only four of the speeches he posted were the subject of charges.

“In the course of these speeches he encouraged his followers to bomb the headquarters of Zanu-PF, bomb the motorcade of the leader of the Zanu-PF, bomb petrol stations, it seems with a view to disrupt the economy and bring revolution, attack police officers in their cars, attack soldiers.

“He encouraged his followers to share the speeches with others,” said Mr Larkin.

After police became aware of a speech he posted titled “The strategy to remove zanu.pf. Announcement,” Chinyanga was interviewed on February 2020.

He admitted posting the speech and wanting to overthrow his country’s government and released under investigation, in the course of which officers found his other speeches.

The court heard that in the speech titled ‘Anyone in his right mind to open gunfire on a gathering of people its terrorism’ he called what happened in Zimbabwe ‘a disgrace’.

“What appears to have happened is that he would describe seeing some footage of police in Zimbabwe shooting a protesters, apparently in a tree planting matter.

“That is what triggered his speeches,’ said the prosecutor.

Jurors were told that the Zanu-PF party had been ruling the Southeast African country since its independence in 1980, for most of that time under Robert Mugabe.

In 2017 he was ousted in a coup by his own party and replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The teacher said in the dock wearing a suit, assisted by a Shona interpreter, as the prosecutor opened the case.

Chinyanga, of St Johns Way, Archway, denies with four counts of encouraging terrorism.

The trial continues.

The post UK: Terrorism trial of MDC activist starts; ‘urged’ bombing of Mnangagwa motorcade, Zanu PF HQ appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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Operation Dudula Worries Mnangagwa As Zimbabweans Are Evicted From Markets, Houses In SA

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Operation Dudula Worries Mnangagwa As Zimbabweans Are Evicted From Markets, Houses In SA

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admin Mon, 02/21/2022 - 22:10

Thursday, January 27, 2022

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Operation Dudula Worries Mnangagwa As Zimbabweans Are Evicted From Markets, Hou…

VOA

THE Zimbabwean government says it is worried about the current situation in South Africa, where its citizens are being harassed, removed from houses and marketplaces by members of the organisation using the codename Operation Dudula.

In a statement, the Zimbabwe Embassy in Pretoria said it’s worried about reports that undocumented Zimbabweans should leave the country as soon as possible or risk being forced to go back home.

The statement reads in part, “The Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in the Republic of South Africa and its Consulates in Cape Town and Johannesburg have received reports of disturbing events that recently took place and affected Zimbabwe nationals in parts of Johannesburg and Lephalale in the Limpopo Province.

“In these instances, national reportedly received threats of unspecified action, including forced eviction, if they did not leave the country by a certain date. The Embassy and the Consulates are aware of the anxiety brought by the non-renewal of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits and their termination on 31 December 2020.”

The Zimbabwean authorities said all citizens living in South Africa should be vigilant and law-abiding.

“Holders of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits who choose to remain in the country after 31 December 2022 must start the process of migrating to other visas early. Relevant information is on the website of the Department of Home Affairs.”

The Zimbabwean officials at the Embassy said they are in regular contact with the relevant South African government representatives on matters concerning the safety of Zimbabweans living in the country.

An organization calling itself South Africa First started evicting Zimbabweans from rented houses recently and market places saying all those should be used by local people.

A large number of Zimbabweans, said to be illegal immigrants, were on Wednesday removed from a local market with indications that South Africa First would also evict them from their rented houses.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appealed for calm, saying his government does not want South Africans to harass foreigners.

The post Operation Dudula Worries Mnangagwa As Zimbabweans Are Evicted From Markets, Houses In SA appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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US-Based Zim Female Student Forms Black Girls, Women Rugby Team

admin — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 01:00:01 +0000

US-Based Zim Female Student Forms Black Girls, Women Rugby Team

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admin Sat, 12/11/2021 - 01:00

Saturday, October 16, 2021

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US-Based Zim Female Student Forms Black Girls, Women Rugby Team

The Washington Post

TAKUNDA Rusike has long been familiar with rugby. She learned about the sport through her cousins and uncles who played in Zimbabwe, including one uncle who represented the national team.

It wasn’t until she was a junior in high school, though, that Rusike began to play herself, joining a club team after her field hockey coach suggested her physicality would be less proscribed in rugby.

Three years later, Rusike, 19, has created a club team at Howard — just the second women’s squad at a historically Black university — that has ambitions of obtaining varsity status. Her efforts coincide with a broader push to make the sport more accessible to African Americans in the Washington region and more popular around the country.

“It’s growing, and there are definitely more Black women getting into the sport, but when I was playing in Maryland in high school, there was not many Black girls,” said Rusike, who attended Towson High. “I would really love to create a program where years down the line there are little Black girls who know, ‘I love rugby, and I can play it at Howard.’

The idea of starting a Howard rugby team would have been foreign to Carille Guthrie when she was in school two decades ago. Guthrie enrolled at Howard in 2000 after transferring from Tufts University, where she played for the school’s team. Without a program in place at Howard, Guthrie never considered starting one, so she joined a local club team called the Maryland Stingers instead.

Since she graduated, she has played at the club level and coached at the youth level, using the sport to connect with people as her career — she works as a contractor for the State Department — took her from Houston to Kyrgyzstan and now Sri Lanka.

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold last year, it led her to a Facebook group for rugby players who are Black, Indigenous or people of color in which some members began floating the idea of starting more rugby programs at HBCUs.

Those intentions materialized into the James G. Robertson and Clive Sullivan Rugby Foundation (RSRF), which aims to develop men’s and women’s teams in the D.C. area.

The group draws its name from two pioneering Black players: Robertson is believed to be the first Black rugby player and Sullivan was the first Black captain of a major British sports team.

The RSRF is focusing on Howard, Morgan State, Bowie State and the University of the District of Columbia and could expand to other regions.

“I travel a lot, internationally and domestically, and whenever I move to a new city I find the local rugby team, and that’s automatically my new group of friends, my new family,” said Guthrie, who is president of the foundation.

“I had a smidge of that experience in college, but because I was with the senior women [on her unaffiliated club team], we weren’t really as bonded as it would have been with a college team. I just want the college kids to get that experience from the jump. … They’ve got the athletes. The talent is there on campus. They just need to be provided with the opportunity to play.”

That opportunity could not have come at a better time for Rusike, who had been struggling with her mental health after the pandemic shuttered activities and in-person classes at Howard.

Rusike also played basketball and soccer in high school, but after she fouled out enough times and collected yellow cards often enough, she was persuaded to try rugby.
She joined her Baltimore-area club team and took an instant liking to it. She eventually attracted the attention of college coaches but chose to attend Howard, seeking to avoid the microaggressions she had experienced in high school.

Washington’s pro rugby team, Old Glory DC, invited Rusike to participate in its newly established academy, and she planned to join a D.C.-area club as Guthrie had done.

But her friends persuaded her to try to start a team at Howard, and after generating interest through group chats and social media, she started developing a plan as a freshman last year.

By April, Guthrie’s foundation was up and running. She reached out to Tim Brown, Old Glory DC’s director of player pathway and youth development, who connected her with Rusike and Daniel Davillier, a junior at Howard who had been organizing a men’s team around the same time.

“It just kind of exploded from there,” Guthrie said.

Brown readily contributed to both efforts, having previously reached out to the school to inquire about its rugby offerings to no avail.

As part of his role with Old Glory DC, he supports the grass-roots growth and development of rugby in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, and he saw local HBCUs as important contributors to that endeavor. He helped Howard’s teams procure coaches, and he has provided jerseys and balls.

Guthrie and her group began fundraising on behalf of both teams. She serves as a de facto adviser and helps lobby Howard’s administration on their behalf, most notably supporting the effort to classify the women’s team as an officially sanctioned NCAA program.

The widespread support energized Rusike and Davillier, who said the burgeoning programs gave them renewed passion and purpose during the pandemic. It also freed them to handle other issues, such as recruiting, scheduling and securing space to play and practice.

“There’s been so much community support for the rugby team. This honestly could not have happened without so much support,” Davillier said.

The NCAA classifies women’s rugby as an “emerging sport” and sanctions teams to play across three classifications: Division I, Division II and Division III. Club teams can compete against varsity programs, but being elevated to varsity status offers benefits that include greater access to facilities and equipment.

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Local Companies Have Until Dec To Declare Forex Transactions Or Risk Hefty Fines

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Local Companies Have Until Dec To Declare Forex Transactions Or Risk Hefty Fines

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admin Fri, 12/10/2021 - 14:50

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

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Local Companies Have Until Dec To Declare Forex Transactions Or Risk Hefty Fines

Fin24

ZIMBABWEAN companies have until the end of this year to declare sales undertaken in foreign currency or risk rigorous audits and hefty fines – as dollarisation, which remains unmatched by foreign currency tax collections, intensifies across the economy.

The local unit of exchange, the Zim dollar, has continued to struggle on official and parallel currency markets, prompting traders to push for sales in hard currency.

The government is now going after businesses not declaring their forex sales, although big mining houses report their financials in foreign currency.

They also liquidate their hard currency earnings for local currency balances.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration – cash-strapped owing to a dearth of foreign investment, smuggling of minerals such as gold, and because of its net importer status – is expecting a boost to its foreign currency revenues from the latest operation, which is targeting firms not declaring forex sales.

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority says it has noted that there are “… traders who are falsifying their financial records”, through failure to declare foreign currency sales or converting such sales into Zimbabwean dollar for taxation purposes.

Additionally, some companies that are transacting in foreign currency, “… are converting such transactions to Zimbabwean dollars for tax purposes”. The authority has therefore given these businesses until December 31 to declare all sales recorded in foreign currency.

“Zimra is therefore urging all traders to come forth and make voluntary disclosures of all under-declared or non-payment of tax by 31 December 2021 to avoid vigorous audits, prosecution and penalties that will be instituted soon after the deadline,” the authority said in a notice.

The ultimatum issued by Zimra for Zimbabwean companies to declare transactions undertaken in foreign currency comes on the back of a decline in export earnings amid high demand for forex across the economy.

Zimstats said earlier this month that the value of Zimbabwe’s total exports in August declined 5% to $597.2 million, with imports for the same period standing at $667.5 million.

The central bank of Zimbabwe has also been battling to meet foreign currency demands from industry for retooling, raw material imports, and the resuscitation of the manufacturing sector.

Additional pressure on the government’s foreign currency resource base will be the payment of bonuses for civil servants in foreign currency.

Labour unions representing civil servants on Monday said the bonuses would be accessible in foreign currency from the banks. This is unlike in previous instances when the bonuses would be liquidated into local currency using the official exchange rate.

The Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions said in a statement that the bonus will be accessible in USD.

Analysts at Old Mutual Zimbabwe expect that the Zimbabwe dollar’s “… weakening is likely to persist”, for the remainder of the current quarter.

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UK Based Zim ‘Shining Star’ Teen Drowns In River

admin — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 12:50:01 +0000

UK Based Zim ‘Shining Star’ Teen Drowns In River

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admin Sat, 10/09/2021 - 12:50

Sunday, July 25, 2021

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UK Based Zim ‘Shining Star’ Teen Drowns In River

BBC

A teenager who died while swimming in a river has been described as a “shining star”.

Thandolwethu Ndlovu, who turned 15 just two days ago, got into difficulty in the River Trent near Swarkestone, Derbyshire, on Tuesday evening.

After an extensive search his body was recovered from the river the next day.

Paying tribute, his family said they were “truly devastated” and said the teenager “loved to laugh and to make friends”.

Thandolwethu, known as Thando, was from Chellaston and had gone to the river with a group of friends, police said.

Nombulelo, Thando’s mother, said: “We are truly devastated. It feels like a part of me has been ripped apart. Thando was the most amazing, happy child. He was our shining star and he was loved by so many.

“Thando loved to laugh and to make friends, and he loved his school. He meant so much to us and would brighten all our lives. I miss my son so very much.”

His father, Jambulani described him as “exactly the child that you could hope to raise”.

An investigation has been carried out, police said, and a file prepared for the coroner.

Officers do not believe there to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

His death was the second of three in the county in recent days where people got into difficulty swimming in open water.

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Fears For Rugby-Loving Man Being Deported To Zimbabwe, Which He Left Aged 9

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Fears For Rugby-Loving Man Being Deported To Zimbabwe, Which He Left Aged 9

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Thursday, August 26, 2021

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Fears For Rugby-Loving Man Being Deported To Zimbabwe, Which He Left Aged 9

The Independent UK

A YOUNG man who has lived in Britain since he was a child has described his terror of being deported to a country he hasn’t lived in for 20 years, hours before his removal flight is due to leave the UK.

Bruce Mpofu, 29, who is facing deportation on the basis of a crime he committed in 2010, for which he spent 11 months in jail, told The Independent he did not know what would happen to him on arrival in Zimbabwe, a country he left aged nine.

His friends meanwhile shared fears he would take his own life, warning that, with no family or support network, he would struggle to cope.

Mr. Mpofu, from Bradford, is one of dozens of Zimbabwean nationals whom the Home Office has rounded up in recent weeks and placed in immigration detention centres in order to forcibly remove them on a charter flight on Wednesday night.

The Independent revealed on Tuesday that men who were deported to Zimbabwe on a separate charter flight last month are now homeless on the streets of Harare and Bulawayo and living in fear of the authorities.

Charities and unions, including the TUC, have called for the flight to be halted, describing the deportation system as a “cruel double punishment” that “tears people away from their homes, families and communities” and places them at risk of “persecution, isolation, and poverty”.

Before this summer, no mass deportation flights had left for Zimbabwe for years, but it is believed the UK has agreed a deal with the country’s new government which enables removals of Zimbabwean nationals who have served prison sentences in the UK of more than 12 months.

Ahead of the flight, which is due to leave at around 10 pm on Wednesday, charity Detention Action launched a legal challenge over poor phone signal in two of the removal centres, which it says has meant deportees have had difficulties contacting their legal representatives a day before the flight. It is not yet known what the outcome of this legal action will be.

Speaking to The Independent on Wednesday afternoon as immigration officers prepared to transport him and other Zimbabwean nationals from Brook House removal centre to Heathrow ahead of the flight, the 29-year-old said: “I’m feeling emotional, but I’m trying to keep my head. I’m terrified. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Mr Mpofu, who is a keen rugby player and whose rugby club, in Wibsey, raised £3,430 to pay for his legal fees, said previously: “I’ve learnt from my mistake over 10 years ago. If I’d been in and out of prison I might understand, but I’ve changed. It’s not fair for them to judge me on a mistake I made 10 years ago.”

The Zimbabwean national’s best friend, Daniel Priestley, 28, who also lives in Wibsey, told The Independent he was “heart-broken” that Mr Mpofu was being deported, adding that he was worried he would take his own life due to the struggle he would face alone in Zimbabwe.

Mr Priestley, who works for Kirkleys Council, said: “He’s like my brother. We’ve got a really strong bond. He’s a Yorkshire lad through and through. If he goes over there, I think that’s going to be it. I just know he won’t live there. He’ll do something to himself. He’s said this to me.”

Responding to claims by Priti Patel that all deportees have a “history of serious and persistent offending in the UK” and are “dangerous criminals”, Mr Priestley said the idea that his friend could be described in this way was an “absolute joke”.

“He committed a crime when he was a kid. When he came out of prison, he changed his life around. He hasn’t committed any offence since. He’s an absolute diamond. To say he’s a threat is appalling,” he added.

“He’s brilliant, he’d do anything to help you out. If you rang him up and asked for anything, he’d be the first person knocking on your door with his big cheesy smile. He’s such a loveable lad. If you spoke to anyone in the village, they would say the same.”

Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action, said the “hallmarks” of mass deportation flights were “cruelty, incompetence and chaos”.

She added: “Phone masts down preventing vital access to justice, torture survivors trying to represent themselves, children facing a lifetime in care because parents are being ripped away.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Foreign criminals who abuse our hospitality should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them. Since January 2019 we have removed 7,985 foreign national offenders from the UK.

“We only ever return those who we and, where applicable, the courts are satisfied do not need our protection and have no legal basis to remain in the UK.

“All people in IRCs are provided with a mobile phone and have access to landline telephones on request, fax machines, email and video calling facilities which can be used to contact legal representatives. We check the signal regularly and no issues have been recorded.”

The post Fears For Rugby-Loving Man Being Deported To Zimbabwe, Which He Left Aged 9 appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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