Online Reporter
Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
ZIMBABWEANS who were trafficked to Sierra Leone after receiving false promises of lucrative jobs, were exploited and forced to work for nearly five months without pay.
The Herald is in possession of flyers used to advertise jobs, targeting individuals aged 18 to 35, requiring a minimum of five Ordinary Level passes and a valid passport.
It is alleged that the employer provided the victims a one-way flight ticket, only to confiscate their passports upon arrival in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.
Further, it is alleged that some of the victims were forced into participating in online dating scams after each victim was provided with a laptop and instructed to create fake profiles using stolen photos of attractive individuals.
The scammers would then request cash, gift cards, and encourage investments in cryptocurrency schemes.
For all the services they provided, it is said they never got payment after being told the salaries would be deposited into their Zimbabwean accounts.
Two victims of the human trafficking syndicate returned home on Tuesday afternoon and were taken into protective custody by Government officials.
They are assisting authorities with information which may help facilitate the return of over 20 more Zimbabweans who remain holed up in the West African country.
Permanent Secretary for Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Simon Masanga, confirmed that they encountered the two alleged victims at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on Tuesday.
This followed a tip-off received suggesting that some victims would be arriving from Sierra Leone.
“Yes, we stumbled upon something yesterday (Tuesday),” said Mr Masanga yesterday.
“When I was at the airport yesterday (Tuesday), I met a lady and a gentleman who alleged that they were coming from Sierra Leone.
“They also alleged that they had been recruited by a private recruitment agent after being offered marketing jobs in Sierra Leone. According to them, there are still more than 20 Zimbabweans in Sierra Leone who were recruited to work for a Chinese-based company as digital marketing agents.”
Sources say the group was deceived by a local company working in conjunction with another firm based in the West African country.
It is said the victims were promised well-paying jobs, some earning upwards of US$500, but upon arrival, they found themselves in a desperate situation.
Said Mr Masanga: “Allegations are that the promises made to the victims were not fulfilled. Instead of working in marketing, they were forced to sell cryptocurrencies, which was not what they had anticipated.
“They were promised salaries of around US$500, but unfortunately, they never received these payments.
“It is alleged that the employer claimed that the salaries would be deposited into their Zimbabwean bank accounts. However, the victims found life extremely challenging and eventually decided to leave.”
Mr Masanga made it clear that the Government was not involved in the process of their recruitment.
“The good thing about what these guys are saying is the employer bought them air tickets to come back home.
“This explains why we, as Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Home Affairs, who are responsible for migration, were not in the picture or even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.
Mr Masanga noted that he could not definitively confirm whether the victims worked without pay, as they were told that their salaries would be deposited directly into their local bank accounts.
He added that it was unclear whether these funds were actually deposited, as the victims had yet to verify this information with their banks.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the majority of the victims left the country on July 4 this year and that Government was now working flat out to get more information.
Those that have returned will be profiled with a view to identifying the agent who facilitated their recruitment and travel.
The interviews will also help ascertain if the remaining 20 people are safe in Sierra Leone.
Meanwhile, Government has warned the public against applying for jobs that seem to be lucrative without consulting authorities.
Added Mr Masanga: “We have established the Migrant Resource Centre in Harare and Gweru and we are going to extend this to other centres in order to give adequate information to would-be migrants looking for opportunities outside the country.
“I implore the public to avoid unverified information from individuals trying to lure them abroad. Instead, they must come to Government offices for guidance. We have the resources to assess the safety of travel abroad for employment opportunities through our foreign missions and other contacts.”
He also revealed that Government was actively working to expand bilateral labour agreements with numerous countries with the aim of facilitating a government-to-government arrangement.
This initiative, Mr Masanga said, would enable individuals to seek employment in destination countries with greater ease and security similar to how the Government sent professionals to Rwanda.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he was still verifying information with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
“Get in touch with me tomorrow; maybe we will have the full information,” he said.
Recently, Comm Nyathi said police were moving fast to round up all suspected syndicates of human trafficking.
