Zvikomborero Parafini
TWO Harare men and a Chinese national appeared in court on human trafficking charges.
Joseph Rabson, Shame Mafido and Chinese national Chen Dehu appeared before regional magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa, who remanded them in custody pending bail hearing.
The court heard that Dehu came to Zimbabwe with the sole purpose of kidnapping minor girls and trafficking them to China for child marriages.
Dehu connived with Rabson and Mafido and they deceived three victims that they were going on an educational sponsorship, yet they would be married off to some Chinese men.
One of the victims was Mafido’s daughter, while the others are close relatives of the two.
On October 18, they took the minor girls from Karoi to Harare and booked them a room at a lodge in Belvedere.
They stayed there for four days awaiting the processing of travel documents.
Since the stipulated age of marriage in China is 20 years, the trio fraudulently acquired new birth certificates and national identity documents for the girls.
The trio was arrested at the lodge after a tip off and police rescued the girls.