Zim Court Rejects DRC Refugee’s Urgent Bid for Release from Detention – ZimEye

📅 Published: August 19, 2025

Curated by AllZimNews.com

Mupenzi further told the court that his liberty was being “arbitrarily restrained causing irreparable harm,” insisting he was unaware of any offence committed.

However, Justice Maxwell ruled that the detention was lawful under section 8(1) of the Immigration Act [Chapter 4:02], which allows authorities 14 days to verify an individual’s identity, nationality and antecedents. “The detention of the applicant is in terms of a law which remains in our statute books,” Justice Maxwell said. “Until and unless section 8 of the Immigration Act is declared unconstitutional and such declaration is confirmed by the Constitutional Court, the court’s hands are tied. ”
The Chief Immigration Officer opposed Mupenzi’s release, stating that his nationality was under investigation and that none of the documents he produced proved refugee status. “Applicant’s identity and nationality status have been questioned by the country’s security apparatus,” the court was told.

Justice Maxwell acknowledged that Mupenzi may have a valid concern regarding the lack of reasons furnished for his arrest, but stressed that the legal remedy lay elsewhere. “Whilst applicant might have a genuine grievance that he was not furnished with reasons for the arrest and detention forthwith, I am not persuaded that the remedy for that is his immediate release,” he ruled.

The court dismissed the application with no order as to costs. 🔗

” style=”color: #007bff;”>admin@allzimnews. com.

Get the complete story and stay updated with the latest Zimbabwe news

All Zim News aggregates news from a variety of sources for public interest and historical record Headlines, excerpts, and images are displayed with attribution and links to the original publisher