A five-man armed robbery gang, allegedly masquerading as military intelligence and police details, has been terrorising mining firms in Matabeleland, extorting money from them and name-dropping members of the First Family, Newsday has reported.
Three of the suspects, Munyaradzi Charakupa, Victor Jaja and Tawanda Mangi, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Evelyn Madzikatire yesterday charged with impersonating public officials, attempted extortion and extortion. The suspects, represented by Bryan Sengweni, were remanded in custody until tomorrow.
The gang’s activities came to light after they targeted mines in which prominent Bulawayo lawyer Dumisani Dube is an interested party. The suspects allegedly extorted money from Dube’s clients, claiming they were acting on behalf of Sean Mnangagwa, the son of President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is an officer in the Zimbabwe National Army under the Presidential Guard.
Investigating officer Superintendent Edmore Runganga told the court that the three were a flight risk since their suspected accomplices are still at large. He argued that if granted bail, they would interfere with witnesses, as the racket seemed to involve police officers and government officials.
The three were arrested after Dube travelled to Harare and reported the extortion attempts to Sean Mnangagwa and the Attorney-General’s Office. In his statement, Dube said Sean disowned the gang and told him to report them to the police.
The gang’s modus operandi involved using intimidation and threats of violence to extort money from their victims. They would present themselves as members of the President’s Office or military intelligence, claiming to have the authority to cancel mining claims.
They would then demand protection fees, often in US dollars, threatening to use their alleged connections to the First Family to harm those who refused to pay.
The court heard that in February this year, Jaja visited Dube’s office and introduced himself as the former Officer-in-Charge of Beitbridge police, now attached to the President’s Office as a member of the Police Protection Unit. He claimed to have been deployed to Sean Mnangagwa’s security team, with Mangi as his immediate boss in the Office of the President.
The gang was allegedly in possession of a file with special grant applications for Matabeleland South province belonging to different individuals, including three of Dube’s professional mining clients. They claimed these claims would be cancelled unless a protection fee of US$300 000 was paid to Sean Mnangagwa, their alleged “boss”.
Dube refused to pay the extortion fee. However, the gang persisted, returning to his office in April 2024, claiming to be directors of Fools Investment (Pvt) Ltd and demanding US$200 000 each. Jaja showed Dube an official card from the Office of the President as identification.
The court heard that the gang also attempted to extort US$800 000 from one of Dube’s clients. On July 23, 2024, the gang threatened to kill Dube unless he gave in to their demands.
They forced him to surrender US$40 000 to Mangi. They also demanded payment for their accommodation, forcing Dube to give them US$4 000 and US$1 800 after they threatened to kill him. In total, the gang extorted US$55 300 from Dube on several occasions.
The arrest of the three suspects is a positive step, but it remains to be seen whether the authorities will be able to bring the other members of the gang to justice.
