Three South African nationals are set to appear before the Harare Magistrates’ Court on charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
They are among 66 irregular migrants of various nationalities currently being held at Harare Remand Prison under contentious circumstances.
The case comes in the wake of a Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) visit to the facility on 29 April 2025.
The delegation, led by Chairperson Fungayi Jessie Majome, initially visited the prison to investigate allegations of politically motivated pre-trial detention involving journalist Blessed Mhlanga and 94 others arrested after the 31 March protests.
However, during the visit, the Commission uncovered a separate and troubling issue: dozens of detainees at the remand prison were irregular migrants, being held without facing any criminal charges or awaiting trial.
According to the ZHRC, the continued detention of these people violates Section 50(1)(d) of the Zimbabwean Constitution, which mandates that arrested persons be released “unconditionally or on reasonable conditions, pending a charge or trial, unless there are compelling reasons justifying their continued detention.”
The Commission found that 66 irregular migrants from different countries were being detained in standard remand prison cells, despite not being formally charged.
This is largely because Zimbabwe does not have designated facilities for immigration-related detentions, resulting in irregular migrants being held alongside criminal suspects. Said Majome:
Of the men who are in remand prison, three South African nationals are facing charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and they are going to appear at the Harare Magistrates’ court on the 10th of June in connection with the offence that they are charged with, the other eight are awaiting deportation.
Additionally, for the three women who are in the female prison in Harare, one of them has been convicted of contravening the Dangerous Drugs Act and she has been sentenced to 10 years in prison while the other two are awaiting deportation.
The woman was caught with cocaine at Robert Mugabe International Airport while travelling from Belgium.
Majome reckons irregular migration isn’t all bad, as it helps tackle issues in other countries.
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