Eight Robert Mugabe International Airport workers appeared in court Wednesday on allegations of attempting to facilitate the illegal transit of 23 Ethiopians to Eswatini recently.
The eight are Gloria Chikukwa (27), Ashley Zhaimu (27), Vincent Shoshore (45), Gondoza Sunday (39), Terrence Mangwende (43), Innocent Tawanda Hamandishe (54), Elliot Nhapi, and Moses Tadiwanashe Mutambai (29).
Chikukwa and Zhaimu are employees of National Handling Services, while four others work as principal immigration officers and assistant regional immigration officers at the airport.
Nhapi and Mutambai are security and intelligence officers.
The complainant is the Department of Immigration Control, represented by Regional Immigration Officer Chakawuya Leslie.
All eight appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa, who remanded them in custody to Thursday for a bail hearing.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on March 15, 2025, at 12:30 pm, five Ethiopian nationals arrived at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 873 from Addis Ababa.
The five were scheduled to connect to Eswatini Airlines the following day.
It is alleged that having pre-arranged the receipt of the Ethiopians, the eight unlawfully accessed the VIP route at the airport.
"They left the doors partially open by wedging pieces of paper between the frames, enabling unauthorised movement," the court heard.
Chikukwa and Zhaimu then escorted the Ethiopians through the VIP route to the Vakacha Lounge, a facility reserved for high-profile individuals.
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The five were kept hidden in the lounge overnight, with the knowledge and cooperation of all the accused, who failed to report the presence of the foreigners to their superiors or colleagues.
"The scheme continued on March 16, when two additional Ethiopian Airlines flights, ET 873 and ET 34, landed at the airport, bringing 19 more Ethiopian nationals."
The accused used the same VIP route to smuggle these individuals, combining them with the first group of five.
It is alleged that by 7:00 pm, all 23 Ethiopians boarded Eswatini Airlines flight RN401 to Manzini, Eswatini, with the help of the accused officials.
The illegal operation was uncovered when uninvolved immigration officials received a tip-off about passengers on the Eswatini Airlines flight who lacked transit visas. Security personnel launched an investigation, reviewing passenger manifests and conducting physical checks.
It was discovered that the Ethiopian Airlines manifest had been falsified to misrepresent the Ethiopians as Russians, Turks, and Indians.
Further checks with National Handling Services revealed another doctored manifest, which listed the Ethiopians as Malawians.
Upon arrival in Eswatini, authorities conducted a physical inspection of Eswatini Airlines flight RN401 and found that the 23 Ethiopians lacked proper transit visas.
The Ethiopians were arrested, convicted on March 20, 2025, and fined US$100 each or sentenced to three months imprisonment. This development led to a deeper investigation, which implicated the eight airport employees in the smuggling operation.
