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17 tonnes of T-shirts land Zimra officials, NGO director in court
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Two Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officials, along with five other individuals, have been arrested and brought before the Harare Magistrates' Courts following allegations of smuggling 17 tonnes of T-shirts into the country to evade import duties.
The accused include Zimra officials Brian Simbachako and Alford Choruvanda, Jeed Investments director Jethro Mavangwa, Rufaro Nenyasha, a representative from a private voluntary organization (PVO), clearing agent Norest Marara, and truck driver Tony Chisuse. They face charges of conspiring to smuggle the goods into Zimbabwe and evade taxes.
The matter was heard before Regional Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa, who remanded the accused persons to appear in court again tomorrow for a bail ruling. The complainant in the case is represented by Yulita Toma, a Zimra revenue supervisor.
The alleged smuggling scheme began in October 2024 when Mavangwa imported 1,066 cartons of cotton T-shirts from Slovenia. The consignment weighed over 17 tonnes and was initially loaded into a container at Port Koper, Slovenia, on October 31, 2024. The shipment was sealed and dispatched to Beira in Mozambique, with final delivery to Manica Warehouse in Harare.
A bill of lading was issued to Mavangwa, listing him as both the consignee and the notifying party. However, when the consignment arrived in Beira on February 13, 2025, Mavangwa is said to have approached CMA CGM, a shipping company, on March 4 to request an amendment to the bill of lading, changing the consignee's details to Rufaro Nenyasha of the PVO.
The accused are alleged to have created a fake waybill and altered the shipping details to declare the consignment as "drip irrigation equipment," thereby avoiding import duties by falsely describing the goods. The altered documents listed the port of origin as Xiamen, China, instead of Slovenia, and the consignment was misclassified as agricultural equipment.
On March 23, the consignment arrived in Harare at Manica Warehouse, where the seal from Port Koper remained intact. On April 17, Marara allegedly subcontracted a clearing agent, Best Gadzikwa Mawonera, to clear the goods through Zimra. Mawonera processed the documents using the fake bill of lading and invoices, listing the goods as drip irrigation equipment. This allowed the consignment to bypass the import duty requirements.
The Zimra officials, Simbachako and Choruvanda, were reportedly responsible for conducting the physical examination of the goods to ensure that the items matched the description in the documents and to determine the correct duties and taxes. However, the accused allegedly cleared the consignment without carrying out any examination, allowing the goods to be taken to Bramfield Farm in Nyabira without paying the required import duty or VAT.
The consignment was initially valued at US$78,880.35 or ZWG2,167,608.35 in import duties and VAT, which were not paid due to the fraudulent scheme.
As the court proceedings unfold, the accused individuals face serious charges for their involvement in the illicit scheme that cost the state significant revenue. The case highlights the challenges faced by Zimra in preventing smuggling activities and underscores the need for strict oversight in customs procedures.
The accused will appear before the court again tomorrow for a bail ruling as the investigation continues into the smuggling operation.
The accused include Zimra officials Brian Simbachako and Alford Choruvanda, Jeed Investments director Jethro Mavangwa, Rufaro Nenyasha, a representative from a private voluntary organization (PVO), clearing agent Norest Marara, and truck driver Tony Chisuse. They face charges of conspiring to smuggle the goods into Zimbabwe and evade taxes.
The matter was heard before Regional Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa, who remanded the accused persons to appear in court again tomorrow for a bail ruling. The complainant in the case is represented by Yulita Toma, a Zimra revenue supervisor.
The alleged smuggling scheme began in October 2024 when Mavangwa imported 1,066 cartons of cotton T-shirts from Slovenia. The consignment weighed over 17 tonnes and was initially loaded into a container at Port Koper, Slovenia, on October 31, 2024. The shipment was sealed and dispatched to Beira in Mozambique, with final delivery to Manica Warehouse in Harare.
A bill of lading was issued to Mavangwa, listing him as both the consignee and the notifying party. However, when the consignment arrived in Beira on February 13, 2025, Mavangwa is said to have approached CMA CGM, a shipping company, on March 4 to request an amendment to the bill of lading, changing the consignee's details to Rufaro Nenyasha of the PVO.
The accused are alleged to have created a fake waybill and altered the shipping details to declare the consignment as "drip irrigation equipment," thereby avoiding import duties by falsely describing the goods. The altered documents listed the port of origin as Xiamen, China, instead of Slovenia, and the consignment was misclassified as agricultural equipment.
On March 23, the consignment arrived in Harare at Manica Warehouse, where the seal from Port Koper remained intact. On April 17, Marara allegedly subcontracted a clearing agent, Best Gadzikwa Mawonera, to clear the goods through Zimra. Mawonera processed the documents using the fake bill of lading and invoices, listing the goods as drip irrigation equipment. This allowed the consignment to bypass the import duty requirements.
The Zimra officials, Simbachako and Choruvanda, were reportedly responsible for conducting the physical examination of the goods to ensure that the items matched the description in the documents and to determine the correct duties and taxes. However, the accused allegedly cleared the consignment without carrying out any examination, allowing the goods to be taken to Bramfield Farm in Nyabira without paying the required import duty or VAT.
The consignment was initially valued at US$78,880.35 or ZWG2,167,608.35 in import duties and VAT, which were not paid due to the fraudulent scheme.
As the court proceedings unfold, the accused individuals face serious charges for their involvement in the illicit scheme that cost the state significant revenue. The case highlights the challenges faced by Zimra in preventing smuggling activities and underscores the need for strict oversight in customs procedures.
The accused will appear before the court again tomorrow for a bail ruling as the investigation continues into the smuggling operation.
Source - newsday
