A JOURNALIST working for a South African investigative journalism television programme is stuck in Namibia after immigration officials detained her at Hosea Kutako International Airport on Friday evening.

Bonita Nuttall, a presenter for M-Net's 'Carte Blanche', was made to spend a night in a holding cell at the Hosea Kutako International Airport Police Station after being detained as she was about to leave Namibia on a flight to South Africa.

Having been released from custody on Saturday, Nuttall appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura on a charge under the Immigration Control Act yesterday.

Her case was postponed to tomorrow for further investigation, and Nuttall was warned to appear in court again then.

Nuttall is charged with contravening a section of the Immigration Control Act by allegedly furnishing false information to immigration officers.

It is understood that when she entered Namibia, where she has been working on a programme featuring the Himba people of northwestern Namibia, she allegedly stated on an immigration arrival form that she was visiting the country on holiday.

It is also understood that Nuttall was assured by a senior figure in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration that she could enter the country on a holiday visa and that permission for her to work during her stay in the country would be arranged for her while she was in the country.

Immigration officials however were waiting for her at the airport and detained her when she wanted to book in for a flight to return to South Africa on Friday.

Lawyer Ivo dos Santos represented Nuttall during her brief appearance before Magistrate Johannes Shuuveni yesterday.