The man was involved in an accident and was knocked unconscious. (fake images)
- An Ethiopian illegal immigrant was fined and awaits deportation from Zimbabwe.
- He was left for dead by the roadside while others traveled to South Africa.
- South Africa has replaced Kenya as the destination of choice for those fleeing Ethiopia.
A Zimbabwean court heard how colleagues left an Ethiopian national transiting to South Africa for dead after a car accident.
Tsegaye Summu, 28, traveled with others in September last year. In Zvishavane, 180 kilometers north-east of Beitbridge, a rented Toyota minibus had an accident. The other passengers escaped unharmed and had to find an alternative means of transportation to continue their journey. They left Summu unconscious on the side of the road.
He was taken to Zvishavane Hospital under police surveillance and later transferred to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) for further care. Appearing before Bulawayo Magistrate Busani Sibanda on Friday, Summu was charged with entering Zimbabwe without a valid permit.
State Attorney Dorcas Maphosa said when questioned by police, Summu said he was in transit to South Africa to seek a better life when the tragedy struck. However, the state was unable to establish on what date and through what port of entry Summu entered the country.
He was found guilty and will await deportation from police custody.
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Zimbabwe is a transit point for illegal migrants from the Great Lakes Region and other northern countries 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 went mainly to Kenya, but South Africa is now the preferred destination of the Ethiopians.
In its review, MIDEQ estimates that tens of thousands of Ethiopians have moved to South Africa in the last 20 years. Migration from Ethiopia to South Africa is based on gender. Young male immigrants make up the majority, the organization said.
The reasons behind migration are climate change, conflict and poverty. Last year, another transit country, Zambia, deported 44 irregular migrants to Ethiopia.
They intended to cross into Zimbabwe and take the final leg to South Africa.
Last year, 562 Ethiopian migrants stranded in Malawi pleaded with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to make it easier for them to return home.
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