Deported Zims living in Malawi squalor

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BY TERERAI KARIMAKWENDA

BLANTYRE - Thousands of Zimbabweans are reported to be living in squalor near Chileka airport after they were deported from the UK. Activist Patson Muzuwa from the Zimbabwe Association, a group that assists asylum seekers, confirmed the removals and said the group included women and children who had used Malawian passports to get into the UK.
Muzuwa said the deportees had documents proving they were actually Zimbabweans travelling on Malawi papers, because they require no visas. But the British government did not verify their authenticity with the Zimbabwean government. And authorities in Malawi confiscated all passports that had been acquired fraudulently, leading to some 3,000 stuck near the airport with no means of supporting themselves.
Malawian passports became extremely popular with Zimbabweans because they were easy to get through bribery and fraud. But as problems arose in the destination countries involving these fake documents, Malawi began tightening requirements for passports. Malawian citizens who used to get identity and travel documents for free are now being charged fees. Several corruption cases involving Malawian immigration officials were also exposed.
Muzuwa said the Zimbabwe Association has been working with human rights groups in Malawi and communicating with the Ministry of Home Affairs in order to help these desperate Zimbabweans. Malawi does not allow homeless drifters to sleep on the streets due to the country’s vagabond laws. So any illegal Zimbabweans caught near the airport or anywhere in Malawi can be jailed or sent back to the one place they escaped to begin with, Zimbabwe. – SW Radio Africa