A Zimbabwean woman currently in prison charged with smuggling persons and illegal entry has made an emotional plea for her children not to be returned to Zimbabwe, expressing fears for their safety.
Silusinkosi Ndlovu, 28, made the heartfelt request before the Francistown Magistrate Court on Monday during a status update on her case.
“I may find them dead if they are returned while I’m still incarcerated,” pleaded Ndlovu.
A desperate Ndlovu told court that the reason she brought them to Botswana is because she found them in a terrible state when she went back home.
“Please just make sure my children are kept safe while I’m still serving time,” begged Ndlovu.
The case involving the Plumtree siblings, Silulenkosi and her brother Mogakolodi Ndlovu, 22, gained public attention on July 16th after four children aged 12, 10, 8, and 2 were smuggled into Botswana through the Ramokgwebana border.
The children were allegedly brought in by a trusted contact who handed them over to their uncle, Mogakolodi, in Francistown.
He then boarded a bus with them, intending to meet their mother in Gaborone.
However, they were intercepted in Tonota during a police stop-and-search operation.
The siblings were subsequently taken to court and charged with smuggling of persons and illegal entry into Botswana, charges to which they both pleaded guilty.
They remain remanded in custody and are expected back in court on Friday for the reading of the facts.
