- An Ethiopian illegal immigrant was fined and awaits deportation from Zimbabwe.
- He was left for dead by the roadside as others made the trip to South Africa.
- South Africa has replaced Kenya as a destination of choice for those fleeing Ethiopia.
A Zimbabwean court has heard how an Ethiopian national in transit to South Africa was left for dead by his colleagues after a car accident.
Tsegaye Summu, 28, travelled with others in September last year. In Zvishavane, 180 kilometres northeast of Beitbridge, a Toyota minibus they had hired was involved in an accident. The other passengers escaped unhurt and had to look for alternative transport to proceed with their journey. They left Summu by the roadside unconscious.
He was taken to Zvishavane Hospital under police guard and later moved to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) for better care. Appearing before Bulawayo magistrate Busani Sibanda on Friday, Summu was charged with entering Zimbabwe without a valid permit.
State prosecutor Dorcas Maphosa said upon questioning by the police, Summu said he was in transit to South Africa to seek a better life when tragedy struck. However, the state couldn't establish on which date and through which port of entry Summu entered the country.
He was found guilty and will wait for deportation from police custody.
Zimbabwe is a transit point for illegal emigrants from the Great Lakes Region and other countries up north on their way to South Africa.
Migration for Development and Equality (MIDEQ), a think tank on migration and inequality in the context of the Global South, says "South-South" migration from Ethiopia was primarily to Kenya, but South Africa is now the most preferred destination for Ethiopians.
In its review, MIDEQ estimates that tens of thousands of Ethiopians have relocated to South Africa in the past 20 years. Migration from Ethiopia to South Africa is gender-based. Young male migrants make up the majority, the organisation said.
The reasons behind the migration are climate change, conflict, and poverty. Last year, another transit country, Zambia, deported 44 irregular migrants back to Ethiopia.
They had intended to cross into Zimbabwe and take the final leg to South Africa.
Last year 562 Ethiopian emigrants stranded in Malawi pleaded with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to facilitate their return home.
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