Tanzanian truck driver to cough out K80,000 or spend two years in prison for aiding 37 undocumented Ethiopians

The Mpika Magistrate Court has convicted and sentenced a 54-year-old Tanzanian truck driver, Charles Michael Lumato, to a fine of K80,000 or, in default, two years simple imprisonment for aiding 37 undocumented Ethiopian nationals.

Lumato was arrested on March 23, 2025, at the Mpika Weighbridge by a joint team of Immigration and Police officers. He was convicted on April 29, 2025.

According to a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday by the Department of Immigration Public Relations Officer, Namati Nshinka, the 37 Ethiopian nationals—aged between 14 and 39—were discovered locked inside the truck Lumato was driving.

The individuals were found after Lumato, responding to loud banging noises from the container, opened it, revealing the distressed group struggling to breathe due to exhaustion and lack of oxygen.

All 37 Ethiopians were convicted and sentenced to fines ranging from K1,500 to K5,000 or, in default, nine months simple imprisonment for failing to report to the nearest immigration officer upon entry into Zambia.

Nshinka also confirmed that the truck and trailer used in the incident had been conditionally forfeited to the State, adding that the convictions contributed to a total of 72 secured by the Immigration Department on April 29 alone.

In a separate case in Western Province, the Senanga Immigration Office apprehended a 51-year-old Zambian national, Emmanuel Choza, for harbouring two undocumented Congolese nationals—a mother and her 13-year-old son.

Choza was arrested within the premises of the Magistrate Court while attending the woman’s court hearing for illegal entry.

He was also accused of assisting her in fraudulently obtaining a Zambian National Registration Card.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Choza had accommodated the woman for two years and later facilitated the boy’s travel from Congo to Zambia.

Meanwhile, in Copperbelt Province, officers from the Kasumbalesa Border Control apprehended 15 suspected illegal immigrants during a routine operation on the night of April 29 in the Chewe and Kwashimutale areas.

The group comprises 13 Congolese, one Tanzanian, and one individual claiming Zambian nationality.

They face charges including illegal entry, unlawful stay, and possession of multiple travel documents without authority.

All suspects were detained pending prosecution.

Additionally, the Immigration Department removed 16 illegal immigrants from the country and denied entry to six individuals who failed to meet Zambia’s entry requirements on the same day.

WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.