A DEVASTATED woman says racist immigration officials wrongly deported her mother back to South Africa because they did not believe she was simply visiting for a holiday.

Zhunia Adonis, 25, of Littlebrook Manor Way, Dartford, says officials at Heathrow Airport ignored evidence proving her 48-year-old-mother, Marie, had no intention of staying in Britain permanently.

Miss Adonis said: “I think it was racism because most of the black people on that flight couldn’t get into the country. Only two of those who were sent back were white.” Mrs Adonis had a return ticket to South Africa, £700-worth of South African currency and financial backing from British family friend, Ron Jordan, 81.

Despite assurances from her daughter and Mr Jordan at the airport, officials bundled Mrs Adonis onto a return flight with 12 others.

They said she did not have sufficient funds or a visa — even though immigration rules stipulate a visa is not required for visiting South Africans.

Five months pregnant, Miss Adonis has suffered headaches and nose bleeds because of the stress.

Despite the father of her unborn child being British, Miss Adonis has always intended to go back to South Africa to have her baby.

She said: “I told them she was coming to visit me before we both returned to South Africa but they couldn’t understand that, even though people come here for two or three months without any problems.

“Mum was really looking forward to seeing London and to seeing me. I told her I needed her because sometimes you need to speak with your mum, especially when you’re having your first baby.” Miss Adonis was planning on spending six weeks in Britain with her mother, before flying back to South Africa to have her baby.

Furious, Mr Jordan who owns the Littlebrook Manor Way home where Miss Adonis lives, said: “To my way of thinking it’s a lot of rubbish and I’m foul-minded about it.” Dartford MP Dr Howard Stoate, who has received a letter from Mr Jordan, says he has written to the immigration department demanding a full explanation.

“Immigration people obviously need to be careful to check the identity and status of people but it does look as if they have been over-zealous and unnecessarily harsh,” he said.

Mrs Adonis has told South African newspapers she was subjected to racism when trying to visit Britain.

A Home Office spokesman said she could not comment on a specific case but that each person coming into Britain has to “satisfy an immigration officer they meet the requirements of the immigration rules for admission”.

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