Fake court official in court over extortion

A 32-year-old man accused of impersonating a judicial official and attempting to extort US$900 from a motorist by claiming he could stop a revived court case has appeared before the Harare Magistrates Court.

Claddrine Chikafu appeared before magistrate Mr Tapiwa Kuhudzai facing an extortion charge. He was remanded in custody until tomorrow for a bail ruling.

The State, represented by Ms Chipo Muvhamba, alleges that Chikafu and his accomplices, who are still at large, targeted a motorist who had previously been convicted in a road traffic accident case.

The court heard that on May 26 last year, the complainant, Ms Tsitsi Mutangadura-Kanyoka, was involved in a road traffic accident in Norton while driving a Honda Vezel.

Following the accident, she was arrested, prosecuted at the Norton Magistrates Court, convicted and sentenced to six months' imprisonment.

She later successfully appealed against both the conviction and sentence at the High Court, which replaced the prison term with community service. The court also ruled that, since she had already served one month in prison, the community service sentence be set aside.

The State alleges that in June this year, Chikafu, acting together with accomplices, devised a plan to defraud the complainant by falsely claiming that her concluded case had been reopened.

According to prosecutors, the alleged accomplices contacted the complainant while pretending to be court officials and detectives. They allegedly claimed that the 2025 case had been revived at the Norton Magistrates Court and demanded US$900 to destroy court records and prevent further legal proceedings.

The complainant initially requested time to raise the money but later reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) Police Unit on July 6 after the suspects allegedly continued demanding payment.

Investigators then set up a trap using US$900 supplied by the complainant.

The State alleges that on the same day, Chikafu instructed Gift Machemedze to collect the money from the complainant at the Eastgate Mall first-floor food court in Harare.

Machemedze allegedly received the marked money and was immediately arrested. The cash was recovered during a search.

Following his arrest, Machemedze allegedly implicated Chikafu as the person who had sent him to collect the money.

Police subsequently launched a search for Chikafu, who was arrested on July 17 after he was reportedly identified in Harare's central business district.

Investigations into the matter are continuing.