A British citizen who overstayed in Zimbabwe says the 30-day period he was allowed to stay in the country was too short.
Allister Irvin Cato (73), stayed on for almost 10 months. He was yesterday convicted, fined before being deported. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was slapped with a fine and an alternative 30 days’ imprisonment by provincial magistrate Lazini Ncube. In mitigation, Cato told the court that he committed the offence because the 30-day period he had been allowed in the country upon entry to visit his family was inadequate.
He further told the court he was married to a Zimbabwean woman and they had four children together. However, Ncube ruled that Cato should have applied for more days rather than play hide-and-seek with Immigration authorities.
On May 6 this year, Cato intended to exit Zimbabwe on his way to Britain through Harare International Airport aboard Emirates Airways when he presented his passport to an immigration official, who then discovered that he had overstayed.
The court heard, Cato had entered the country on May 9 last year upon which he was awarded a visitor’s permit that expired on June 9 last year. Cato did not extend his term of stay, but remained in the country, illegally for 10 months, leading to his arrest.
