The victim told the court that Tendai Muswe facilitated her
papers over the phone until they met in person on December 9, 2021, two days
before she left Zimbabwe for the Middle East country.
Tendai pleaded not guilty to human trafficking before
Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa.
The woman told the court that when she arrived in Oman, she
was received by an agent who took her to the first family where she worked for
a week.
“The first week I stayed at a relative of my actual
employer who stayed in another town.
“When the week lapsed, I was taken to my employer who was
of Arab origin. That’s where I was made to sleep in the bathroom on a small
mattress with two blankets and no pillow.
“I was subjected to the harshest working conditions,
working 15 hours a day and feeding on leftovers.
“I started work at 5am up to 10pm until I fell sick. I was
bleeding continuously until I couldn’t work. That was when my employer’s mother
asked my employer to take me to hospital where I received medication.
“The doctors told me that I was suffering from fatigue and
needed to rest, but my employer said she had wasted US$2 600 to bring me from
Zimbabwe, so I had to continue working,” she said.
The woman then broke down in court and the magistrate gave
her a few minutes to compose herself.
She said she was returned to the agent who told her that
her relatives had to send US$2 600 used to bring her to Oman before she could
be released.
She told the court that her family managed to raise the
money and sent it to the agent who then took her to the airport and she
returned to Zimbabwe after two months of hard labour.
The State, represented by Oscar Madhume, said Tendai
advertised in a WhatsApp group that she was looking for maids to work in Oman.
The victim responded to the advert after seeing what she
called an attractive salary of US$250 per month, which would be increased to
US$400 after two months.
Tendai told the woman to send a picture of her passport,
which she did.
After a month, Tendai told her the tickets were ready for
her to fly to Oman. H Metro
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