Seven people have appeared in court for operating dubious travel agencies and recruiting people to go and work in Kuwait.
The seven are facing charges of contravening Section 3(1) of the Trafficking in Persons Act chapter 925. The development follows a story run by the ZBC on the growing trends of human trafficking where Zimbabweans are allegedly living in slavery in Kuwait.
The seven suspects, who have been running bogus employment agencies, are: Lucia Chibayambuya, Lawrence Chibayambuya, Faith Magora, Josephine Gondo, Tonderai Gondwa, Fadzai Nyandoro and Edgar Gora.
According to state papers, Gondo, Gondwa and Nyandoro connived with one, Tinashe Nyandoro, who is based in Kuwait, to recruit and transfer people to Kuwait.
They misrepresented to the complainants that Tinashe Nyandoro had a travel agency in Kuwait and had the capacity to help them secure employment and work as waitresses.
It is understood that after going through some vetting processes, Tinashe sent air tickets.
On arrival in Kuwait, Tinashe is believed to have taken complainants to different places where they are allegedly employed as housemaids instead of the promised job of waitresses.
The complainants are understood to be working for more than 22 hours a day and the payment is being forwarded to Tinashe. The complainants contacted their parents and informed them of the abuse and the matter was reported to the police back home.
In another similar case, the state represented by Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleges that Lucia Chibayambuya was once employed as a maid in Kuwait before she was deported after being diagnosed of Hepatitis B.
She allegedly connived with Lawrence Chibayambuya and Faith Magora to recruit people to work in Kuwait and advised complainants to contact James Maroodza, an employment agent.
Maroodza is believed to have misrepresented to the complainants that he had secured employment as a waitress yet he actually knew they were going to work as housemaids.
Meanwhile, police investigations indicate that the government is trying to repatriate its nationals from Kuwait who are currently living in slavery.