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6 arrested for smuggling 17,5 tonnes of T-shirts
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Six individuals, including two ZIMRA officials and a clearing agent, appeared in court yesterday facing charges of fraud after allegedly orchestrating a scheme to evade more than US$78,880 in customs duty and VAT by disguising a shipment of cotton T-shirts as agricultural drip irrigation equipment.
The accused – Jethro Mavangwa (41), director of Jeed Investments Pvt Ltd; Peter Ndamba (61), director of Rufaro Nenyasha Private Voluntary Organisation; Norest Chiureki Marara (51), a clearing agent with Secure Freight Pvt Ltd; Brian Simbachako (35) and Alford Toruvanda (37), both ZIMRA revenue officers; and Tony Chisuse (31), a truck driver – were remanded in custody by Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa, who postponed the bail ruling to Tuesday next week.
Prosecutor Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti told the court that in October 2024, Mavangwa, acting through Jeed Investments, imported 1 066 cartons of cotton T-shirts weighing 17.5 tonnes from Fin-Agri-Holding DOO in Slovenia. The shipment was sealed in Slovenia and routed through Beira, Mozambique, before reaching Zimbabwe in February 2025.
To evade taxes, Mavangwa allegedly conspired with his co-accused to falsify import documentation, falsely declaring the goods as agricultural drip irrigation equipment – a category exempt from customs duty. On March 4, he instructed shipping company CMA CGM in Harare to change the consignee on the bill of lading from Jeed Investments to Rufaro Nenyasha PVO, a move prosecutors say was designed to mislead customs authorities.
The accused produced fake invoices and forged documents, claiming the goods were shipped from China Drip Irrigation Equipment Co Ltd, despite being originally sealed in Slovenia. The container arrived in Harare on March 23 and was taken to the Manica warehouse, still bearing its original Slovenian seal.
On April 17, Marara subcontracted a second clearing agent, Best Gadzikwa Mawonera of Dawn Shipping Pvt Ltd, to handle ZIMRA clearance using the forged paperwork. On April 23, Mawonera processed the clearance based on the fraudulent documents, declaring the goods as exempt equipment.
ZIMRA officers Simbachako and Toruvanda, tasked with inspecting the shipment, allegedly cleared it without physical verification. The container was released on April 25 and transported to Bramfield Farm in Nyabira, where the T-shirts were offloaded without payment of duty or VAT.
The scam resulted in a loss of US$78,880.35 (approximately ZiG$2.17 million) to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority. The consignment has not been recovered.
All six accused are facing fraud charges, and the case has sparked fresh concerns about collusion between importers and revenue officers in customs fraud schemes.
The accused – Jethro Mavangwa (41), director of Jeed Investments Pvt Ltd; Peter Ndamba (61), director of Rufaro Nenyasha Private Voluntary Organisation; Norest Chiureki Marara (51), a clearing agent with Secure Freight Pvt Ltd; Brian Simbachako (35) and Alford Toruvanda (37), both ZIMRA revenue officers; and Tony Chisuse (31), a truck driver – were remanded in custody by Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa, who postponed the bail ruling to Tuesday next week.
Prosecutor Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti told the court that in October 2024, Mavangwa, acting through Jeed Investments, imported 1 066 cartons of cotton T-shirts weighing 17.5 tonnes from Fin-Agri-Holding DOO in Slovenia. The shipment was sealed in Slovenia and routed through Beira, Mozambique, before reaching Zimbabwe in February 2025.
To evade taxes, Mavangwa allegedly conspired with his co-accused to falsify import documentation, falsely declaring the goods as agricultural drip irrigation equipment – a category exempt from customs duty. On March 4, he instructed shipping company CMA CGM in Harare to change the consignee on the bill of lading from Jeed Investments to Rufaro Nenyasha PVO, a move prosecutors say was designed to mislead customs authorities.
The accused produced fake invoices and forged documents, claiming the goods were shipped from China Drip Irrigation Equipment Co Ltd, despite being originally sealed in Slovenia. The container arrived in Harare on March 23 and was taken to the Manica warehouse, still bearing its original Slovenian seal.
On April 17, Marara subcontracted a second clearing agent, Best Gadzikwa Mawonera of Dawn Shipping Pvt Ltd, to handle ZIMRA clearance using the forged paperwork. On April 23, Mawonera processed the clearance based on the fraudulent documents, declaring the goods as exempt equipment.
ZIMRA officers Simbachako and Toruvanda, tasked with inspecting the shipment, allegedly cleared it without physical verification. The container was released on April 25 and transported to Bramfield Farm in Nyabira, where the T-shirts were offloaded without payment of duty or VAT.
The scam resulted in a loss of US$78,880.35 (approximately ZiG$2.17 million) to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority. The consignment has not been recovered.
All six accused are facing fraud charges, and the case has sparked fresh concerns about collusion between importers and revenue officers in customs fraud schemes.
Source - the herald
