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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
THIRTY-SIX Congolese refugees who reportedly escaped from Tongogara Refugee Camp in Manicaland were intercepted at the Plumtree Border Post while trying to illegally exit the country into Botswana.

The group, which comprised adults and children, was intercepted on Saturday night and were taken to the Plumtree Police Station.

They were then taken to Plumtree Prison where they are being held awaiting to be handed over to the Social Services Department in Plumtree.

They reportedly alleged that they illegally entered the country and had been granted asylum status.

Assistant Regional Immigration Officer-in-charge of Plumtree Border Post, Nqobile Ncube, said the group was intercepted at the border and all the 36 refugees were being held in the border town’s prison.

He said the matter was now being handled by the social service department.

“The nature of the matter required us to hand over the issue to the office of the commissioner of refugees which is the social welfare. That is what we have done because these people appear to be refugees.

“The 36 suspects were intercepted close to the Plumtree Border Post and we have handed them over to the relevant department. They appeared to comprise different Congolese families and they are of different ages,’’ said Ncube.

A police source at the Plumtree Police Station said the refugees reportedly escaped from Tongogara Refugee Camp and they were on their way to Botswana with the assistance of a local.

“These refugees were on their way to Botswana and they had asked a local person to assist them in gaining access to the neighbouring country through an illegal point.

“They were intercepted at night while they were in a bushy area. These refugees did not have travel documents and when they were questioned, they revealed that they had fled their country to escape the instability there,’’ said the police officer.

He said the refugees had indicated that they did not have any money or valuables.

Matabeleland South Provincial Social Services Department Officer, Totamirepi Tirivavi, said the 36 Congolese nationals were not given asylum status in the country but were rather seeking it.

He said the group would be referred to Harare through the Zimbabwe Prison Services where they will await deportation as they were in the country illegally.

“It appears that these people were denied asylum in the country and they were on their way to seek asylum in Botswana.

“If they had escaped from any refugee camp in the country and if they had been granted asylum then we would have handled their case but they will be handled by the Prison department. These people could have resided in the country illegally and they were in transit,’’ said Tirivavi.