A HARARE man has been jailed for an effective 10 years for
trafficking six women to Kuwait on the pretext of securing them well-paying
domestic jobs but instead subjected them to slavery and exploitation.
James Marodza was lucky not to have been charged with a
section which carries a mandatory 10-year sentence on each count.
Regional magistrate Bianca Makwande said only a custodial
sentence would be adequate for the offence as it was becoming rife in southern
Africa and the courts ought to play a role in curtailing the scourge.
The magistrate said Marodza’s actions subjected the women
to psychological torture that some of them would not lead normal lives again as
they were treated as slaves in a foreign land with no help or communication
with relatives.
The court said Marodza’s actions prejudiced the government
as it had to intervene in repatriating the victims whose rights he had
infringed.
State counsel Netsai Mushayabasa proved that sometime in
2016, the complainants saw a newspaper advertisement which said housemaids were
wanted in Kuwait.
Contact details were provided and the complainants called
in and were invited to Marodza’s office in Vainona.
Marodza told the
complainants that working conditions would be favourable and one of the women
was told that she would have an opportunity to further her education.
Marodza told the complainants to leave their details for
visa processing and instructed them to be medically examined for HIV and for
them to acquire police clearance certificates.
The complainants went to Kuwait where they were taken to an
agent who handed them over to the said employers. The employers confiscated
their passports.
The court heard that the complainants were in some
instances denied a bath, fresh food and communication with relatives as their
phones were seized.
One of the women managed to escape and sought refuge at the
Zimbabwean embassy in Kuwait and had to be repatriated home with the help of
the government. Daily News
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