Company director in court for US$2,000 bribery

A Harare businessman and director of Whitecard Tobacco Company (Pvt) Ltd, Tawanda Mandudzo (51), has been arrested for attempting to bribe a senior official from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) with US$2,000 in a bid to secure the release of illegally held tobacco destined for smuggling into South Africa.

Mandudzo appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Tapiwa Kuhudzai today facing bribery charges and was released on US$300 bail. He is expected to return to court as investigations continue into the broader illegal tobacco smuggling network.

The bribery attempt stemmed from a probe led by TIMB Inspectorate Manager Mr Isiah Hokonya, who uncovered Mandudzo's alleged involvement in manipulating tobacco export permits and attempting to pass off hand-stripped lamina as tobacco stems - a lower-grade product permitted for export under specific regulations.

The case unraveled on July 23, 2025, when TIMB inspectors and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers conducted a routine operation in Waterfalls, Harare. At 176 First Avenue, they intercepted Ringisai Manhando, who was caught with a truck loaded with compressed boxes of high-grade lamina, allegedly meant to be smuggled to South Africa.

Investigations revealed that Manhando was working in collaboration with Mandudzo, who had provided export permits that were only valid for stems, not lamina. It also emerged that Mandudzo was processing and holding tobacco stems without the appropriate TIMB license, which violates strict industry regulations designed to prevent side-marketing and illegal trade.

TIMB policy restricts the issuance of scrap licenses-used to handle tobacco waste-until after the close of the auction season. Mandudzo, however, had sidestepped these protocols.

The situation escalated on July 25, when an individual identified only as Fayaz, believed to be Mandudzo's South African trading partner linked to NITTO Investments, contacted Mr Hokonya pleading for the release of the confiscated tobacco. Fayaz admitted he received the contact details from Mandudzo.

Later that same day, Mandudzo called Mr Hokonya directly, initially offering US$3,000 to facilitate the release of the contraband. After being rebuffed, he reduced the bribe to US$2,000, pressing the TIMB official to accept the money.

Mr Hokonya reported the attempted bribery to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), which quickly set up a sting operation. On July 28, investigators installed surveillance equipment at TIMB headquarters in Southerton to capture the transaction.

At approximately 2:30 PM, Mandudzo arrived at Hokonya's office with a black plastic bag containing US$2,000 in cash. He handed the money to Mr Hokonya, who counted it before handing it over to ZACC Principal Investigations Officer, Mr Henry Chapwanya.

The entire exchange was recorded on video. Once the cash was verified, Chapwanya identified himself and arrested Mandudzo on the spot. The bribe money was immediately seized as evidence.

Mandudzo's arrest is expected to have wider implications for Zimbabwe's tobacco export sector, which has come under scrutiny for side-marketing, permit abuse, and smuggling.

Authorities say investigations are ongoing into Mandudzo's network, including the role of NITTO Investments and other accomplices. The case has also raised fresh concerns about corruption and the abuse of export licenses in one of Zimbabwe's key economic sectors.

ZACC and TIMB have both vowed to pursue the matter to its conclusion, stressing that "no one is above the law" when it comes to maintaining integrity in the country's regulated industries.