Immigration to probe foreigners sleeping in shops
By NATION REPORTER THE Department of Immigration in Lusaka is to launch investigations into reports that some foreign nationals in the city were sleeping in their shops.
Immigration department spokesperson, Namaki Nshika who could neither confirm nor deny the reports of foreigners sleeping in shops, told the Daily Nation that the department will launch investigations.
“We will institute investigations into the matter and liaise with the relevant authorities to determine if this is a crime because even ordinary Zambian citizens are believed to be do- ing the same. With confirmation from the relevant authority this is indeed a crime, those with granted permission from the office of the commission for refugees will be allowed to keep running their shops provided they find accommodation in a residential area while those staying without permits will be sent back to their country,” warned Mr Nshika
He said since the genocide in Rwanda, Zambia has harbored refugees and has issued temporal permits to those that have not acquired passports adding that it was dismaying to hear reports that foreigners were sleeping in their places of business.
Recently some concerned residents of Lusaka’s Kabwata Township expressed concern over the increasing number of foreigners spending nights in their shops at the main market in the area.
The residents expressed fears that this situation would worsen the cholera outbreak as most of these foreigners were dealing in food stuff which was posing a health hazard to their clients.