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Trio accused of name-dropping Mnangagwa son's name
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The trial of three men accused of masquerading as state security operatives and invoking President Emmerson Mnangagwa's son to extort a mining firm has continued, following the striking off of one of the seven charges against them.
The accused - Munyaradzi Charakupa, 48, of Burnside, Bulawayo; Tawanda Mangi, 32, of Hellensville, Harare; and Victor Jaja, 49, of Toubuk Road, Harare - are jointly facing charges of fraud, extortion, attempted extortion, and impersonating public officials.
Bulawayo magistrate recently acquitted the trio on count four, in which Jaja allegedly claimed to have killed four people to intimidate complainant Dumisani Dube, citing insufficient evidence.
Prosecutors allege the men posed as officers from the President's Department, the Police Protection Unit, and Military Intelligence, threatening to cancel mining licences belonging to Dube's clients unless he paid them. Between February and August 2024, the accused allegedly extorted over US$55,000.
The trio reportedly invoked the name of Sean Mnangagwa, claiming they were acting on his behalf. Dube told investigators he had travelled to Harare to meet Sean Mnangagwa, who denied any knowledge of the gang and advised him to report the matter to the police.
Among the charges, the accused allegedly forced Dube to hand over US$40,000 on 23 July last year after producing a forged Power of Attorney purportedly naming them directors of Fools Investment (Pvt) Ltd. On another occasion, they reportedly demanded US$5,800 for "accommodation and car servicing" while on "special deployment." In August, they allegedly posed as police officers to gain entry into Fools Mine, where they attempted to assess gold deposits.
The trial has been remanded to 22 August for further proceedings.
The accused - Munyaradzi Charakupa, 48, of Burnside, Bulawayo; Tawanda Mangi, 32, of Hellensville, Harare; and Victor Jaja, 49, of Toubuk Road, Harare - are jointly facing charges of fraud, extortion, attempted extortion, and impersonating public officials.
Bulawayo magistrate recently acquitted the trio on count four, in which Jaja allegedly claimed to have killed four people to intimidate complainant Dumisani Dube, citing insufficient evidence.
The trio reportedly invoked the name of Sean Mnangagwa, claiming they were acting on his behalf. Dube told investigators he had travelled to Harare to meet Sean Mnangagwa, who denied any knowledge of the gang and advised him to report the matter to the police.
Among the charges, the accused allegedly forced Dube to hand over US$40,000 on 23 July last year after producing a forged Power of Attorney purportedly naming them directors of Fools Investment (Pvt) Ltd. On another occasion, they reportedly demanded US$5,800 for "accommodation and car servicing" while on "special deployment." In August, they allegedly posed as police officers to gain entry into Fools Mine, where they attempted to assess gold deposits.
The trial has been remanded to 22 August for further proceedings.
Source - zimlive
