First Grade Magistrate Court in Mulanje has ordered two men from Thyolo to pay a fine of K250, 000 each or in default serve 18 months jail term for attempting to traffic 18 Malawians to South Africa.

The two men Austin Gunde, 56, of Sitima Village and Frank Bulugamu, 32, of Loti village both from Traditional Authority Changata in Thyolo were arrested a week ago at Muloza Boarder in Mulanje while they attempted to traffic 18 people who were sourced from different districts in Malawi and were promised good jobs in South Africa.

During court proceedings it was revealed that the 18 victims did not resist to the trick as they were promised well paying jobs and free accommodation for the first days they arrive in South Africa, a thing that compelled them to comply willingly.

In mitigation, Gunde asked the court to exercise leniency claiming he was a sole bread winner in the family with responsibilities over wife and children and his co-accused Bulugamu too, told the court that it was the first time he has committed a crime of such nature and pledged never to indulge in such criminal act again and therefore asked the court to exercise leniency on him.

Passing his ruling, Magistrate Soka Banda trashed the two mitigation factors arguing the two accused could have reasoned and considered their responsibilities and statuses before they engaged in a crime observing that the sentence was also designed to warn would be perpetrators of such crimes.mana