SIKHUPHE – After three months of detention in Eswatini for illegally entering the country, remaining without authorisation and engaging in illegal gambling activities, the first group of foreign nationals has been deported to their respective countries.
Notably, while the foreign nationals were initially arrested on allegations of money laundering, contravening the Immigration Act and violating the Gaming Act, they were ultimately prosecuted and convicted for being in the country unlawfully.
Deportation is the formal expulsion of a person or group by the State from its sovereign territory, typically because their presence is unlawful or deemed detrimental to public welfare.
The group includes 16 Brazilians and one resident of the Republic of China on Taiwan.
These foreign nationals were among the 88 arrested at the Castle Hotel, where they conducted their illegal activities.
They were transported to King Mswati III International Airport in two kombis under an escort from the Royal Eswatini Police Service.
From there, they caught a flight to Johannesburg before taking the final flight to their home countries.
They were accompanied by two officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure they boarded the last flight to their respective overseas homes. The remaining foreign nationals from other countries, such as Mainland China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and others, will be deported in stages.
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‘We lost everything in just three months’
SIKHUPHE – “We lost everything in just three months.”
These were the sentiments expressed by the Brazilian nationals as they prepared to leave the country after three months of detention.
They had been arrested for illegally entering the country, remaining unlawfully and engaging in illegal gambling activities.
The 16 Brazilians were among the first group to be deported after being convicted of breaching immigration laws and the Gambling Act. They were deported alongside a resident of the Republic of China on Taiwan. They lamented that instead of earning money to take home, they found themselves having to bother their families to sell property in order to buy them plane tickets to return home.
Since their arrival in the country, they said they had not yet commenced work. Instead, they claimed they had been waiting at the Castle Hotel in Thembelihle, Mbabane, without receiving any salaries.
During this waiting period, they reported receiving only small amounts of money to buy food and basic necessities. They claimed they were unaware they were in breach of any laws, as they had been recruited through Telegram to work in the gambling industry.
One foreign national shared that he had no option but to ask his family to sell his motorcycle to afford a plane ticket. “I left my country solely to make money for my family just like everyone here, but I ended up losing the little I had. This has been so unfortunate because I now have to start life from scratch,” he said.
The foreign nationals also expressed their bitterness about leaving the country without their cellphones. They explained that they had been led to believe that their phones had been placed in a box without markings during their arrest.
“Can you imagine the pain of returning home without being able to communicate with your relatives?” they asked. Worth noting is that from time to time, the foreign nationals sough assistance to communicate with their families.
When asked why they had been lured into the gambling job, they responded that it was considered the easiest job one could do without wasting energy, as long as they remained focused. They stated that leaving their home countries did not mean there was a scarcity of jobs. “We rely on modern technology to make money,” they said.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
