Ex Minister Saviour Kasukuwere’s son loses R550,000 in groceries deal gone wrong

Former Cabinet minister Saviour Kasukuwere’s son, Christian Kasukuwere, has suffered a significant loss of approximately R550,000 in a failed grocery supply deal. Two suspects, Jethro Mubaiwa (32) and Jonathan Mbunga (25), have been remanded in custody after appearing before Harare magistrate Ethel Chichera.

According to the prosecution, Christian had expressed his intention to purchase groceries from South Africa and approached Mbunga for assistance. Mbunga introduced Christian to Mubaiwa, who claimed to be involved in the business of supplying groceries from South Africa. On July 30, 2023, Mubaiwa assured Christian over the phone that he could facilitate the transaction.

Mbunga then informed Christian that Mubaiwa had a South African FNB Bank account for the deposit. Consequently, Christian instructed Albert Chari, an employee of his father based in South Africa, to transfer R544,500 to the provided bank account. Christian sent Mbunga copies of the proof of payment via WhatsApp, and Mbunga confirmed that Mubaiwa had received the money. The groceries were supposed to be delivered within three days.

Christian arranged a meeting at Belvedere Square in Harare, where Mbunga introduced Mubaiwa to Christian. However, during their conversation, a misunderstanding arose, prompting Mbunga and Mubaiwa to propose reversing the deal and reimbursing Christian with US$33,000, equivalent to ZAR544,500. Mbunga and Mubaiwa exited Christian’s vehicle under the pretence of retrieving the funds from their own vehicle but abruptly drove away, leaving Christian realizing he had been swindled. He subsequently reported the incident to the police.

Further investigations revealed that the account used to receive the stolen funds belonged to Mubaiwa’s elder brother, Admire Mubaiwa, who is already facing charges related to the case. The total amount lost by Christian was R544,500, and no recovery has been made thus far.