Harare woman to spend 30 years in jail for selling dreams

A HARARE woman who promised dream jobs in cash-rich Dubai to her fellow countrywomen and, instead, condemned them to a life of slavery in Oman will spend the next 30 years in the slammer for human trafficking.

Caroline Ziyanga is the mastermind behind a scheme so ludicrous and unbelievable it almost makes you miss those cheeky Nigerian prince e-mails!

Apparently, Ziyanga lured unsuspecting women with promises of “lucrative jobs” in Dubai.

She told her victims tales of fat paycheques (up to US$800 a month), free accommodation, as well as enough downtime to write a novel.

Well, nine women jumped at this opportunity of a lifetime. Blinded by the promise of a life far, far away from whatever reality they were facing, they put their fate into Ziyanga’s hands, brimming with dreams of Dubai’s deserts and luxury brunches. But instead of landing in the land of Burj Khalifa, they found themselves deposited in the dusty plains of Oman. And that was where their real nightmare began. It turns out these women were never destined for cushy nurse aide jobs.

Instead, they were sold into a life of slavery, where they were forced to work long hours and subsist on leftovers.

As if that was not enough, some even faced the horror of sexual abuse.

Thankfully, one of these brave women managed to steal a phone and contacted her brother in South Africa, who alerted the authorities. Ziyanga, who was behind this whole mess, was finally collared.

Harare regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje threw the book at Ziyanga, sentencing her to a well-deserved 30 years behind bars, which, frankly, does not seem like enough compensation for the emotional and physical trauma she caused.