SCORES of desperate Zimbabweans, particularly civil servants, are reportedly entering into fake marriages to expedite the processing of spousal visas to enable them to travel to developed countries such as the United Kingdom for employment, NewsDay can reveal.
Zimbabwe has in the past years recorded a mass exodus of
skilled workers who have opted for menial foreign jobs owing to poor remuneration
back home.
NewsDay has gathered that civil servants were struggling to
acquire a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS), an electronic document issued by
foreign employers to prove that one has secured a job, which in turn qualifies
them to get a visa to go out of the country.
The document costs about £6 000, which is equivalent to
about US$7 000 — an amount that is beyond the reach of most workers in the
country, particularly government employees.
This has forced the workers to enter into marriages of convenience
so that they share the COS document cost which then enables them to apply for a
spousal visa.
The practice has become rampant and some middlemen have
created social media groups, some with over 5 000 participants to match willing
partners.
“Good afternoon gents, here there is a lady who wants to
share COS costs. COS is about £6 000,
you share £3 000 each and if you are a professional like a teacher, you gain
your experience, get your sponsorship and then you guys divorce.
“If you are interested and you are a male, the lady is 33
years old, inbox. Also, if we have ladies who want to share please inbox them
again. No strings attached. It’s only for COS. Inbox with your name age place
you stay and gender,” read a message posted in one of the WhatsApp groups
manned by the middlemen.
In an interview with NewsDay, a middleman who spoke on
condition of anonymity said: “The marriages are happening even between
strangers who will then ‘divorce’ after two years when they have successfully
arrived in the foreign country.
“This has been helping a lot of people. Given the earnings
the civil servants are getting, it is difficult for an individual to raise US$7
000, say in two months. So, they marry and share the costs,” the middleman
said.
Information deputy minister Kindness Paradza said the
government could not stop citizens from seeking greener pastures abroad.
“As long as they go through formal procedures, we can’t
stop them. The same way we welcome
foreigners who come into the country through formal procedures, we can’t stop
our citizens to go to other countries for their business. On the issue of
convenience marriages, the Registrar or the Home Affairs minister are better
placed to comment on that,” Paradza said.
Registrar-General (RG) Henry Machiri said the issue of
marriages of convenience was common in many countries.
“The issue of such marriages of convenience is not
synonymous to Zimbabwe only, but it happens in many countries. People do that usually when they want to get
work permits, for instance.
“However, the RG’s office keeps records and, therefore,
cannot tell whether a marriage certificate was issued from a fake union or
not,” Machiri said.
Zimbabwean teachers have not been eligible to apply for a
qualified teacher status (QTS) in the UK, but information from the British government
shows that a change of regulations will see Zimbabwean teachers qualifying for
QTS starting next month.
This has resulted in a growing number of teachers
considering to resign from the civil service to get employment abroad.
Workers’ representatives said the continued deteriorating
economic environment in Zimbabwe is forcing government employees to look for
greener pastures.
“Owing to low salaries, health workers are trying to make
ends meet by any means possible. They are utilising every means to get out of
the country to look for jobs in the UK, USA, New Zealand and other countries,”
Zimbabwe Professional Nurses Union secretary-general Douglas Chikobvu said.
“The current economic environment is very restrictive for
better welfare or career development. So, they utilise any means available to
get out of the country and earn a better living in the diaspora.”
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president
Orbert Masaraure said the government stripped civil servants of their dignity
by failing to pay decent wages.
“Civil servants have been reduced to paupers.
Politically-connected people have appropriated all national wealth for private
gain, and the majority of our people, particularly the workers who produce the
wealth are treated like dogs,” Masaraure said.
“The fake marriages are just one of the many desperate initiatives by desperate civil servants to survive in these difficult times. Those in government should be ashamed.” Newsday
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