Harare – A Wedza man who impersonated a police officer to abduct and rape a young woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Marondera Magistrates’ Court. Meanwhile, in Harare, five Zimbabweans based in South Africa have each been handed 10-year jail terms for their involvement in a foiled kidnapping plot stemming from a fraudulent gas tanker deal.
The Wedza predator, whose name has been withheld to protect the victim, pounced on his 20-year-old victim on 26 December 2024. The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) reports that the incident occurred after the victim’s uncle’s car ran out of fuel near Wedza.
Seizing his opportunity, the 23-year-old fiend falsely arrested her for “loitering”. He then dragged her to Nyamidzi shops where he robbed her at knife-point before forcing her into his red Honda Fit and driving her to his home for a vile assault.
In a daring midnight escape, the traumatised victim fled half-naked after the rapist left to pick up a friend in Maonedzo village. She stumbled to a nearby mine, where a quick-thinking miner gave her clothes and alerted her family.
Wedza Police swiftly arrested the brute, while medical tests at Mt. St. Mary’s Hospital sealed his fate.
Dodgy Gas Deal Leads to Kidnapping Plot
In a separate case, five Zimbabweans based in South Africa have been sentenced to 10 years each after a gas tanker deal spiralled into a foiled kidnapping plot.
On 4 April 2025, according to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), Moses Monde (37), Malvin Manzinde (45), Malvin Tatenda Nyamuranga (33), Nobert Muponda (45), and Joshua Mapuranga (41)—were convicted by the Harare Magistrates’ Court for conspiring to kidnap and assault a complainant who trusted them with a jaw-dropping US$800 000 investment.
The five posed as legitimate businessmen with ties to a Turkish supplier, promising to secure seven Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tankers and build a gas plant in Harare. But once the money changed hands, the so-called entrepreneurs pulled a vanishing act, leaving their client high and dry.
Suspicions peaked when the complainant contacted the Turkish company and was told only US$132,000 had been received.
Smelling a scam, the complainant pestered the crew—who, instead of owning up, plotted to snatch and silence him.
Their first ploy? Lure him to South Africa. When that flopped, they jetted into Harare on 4 March, armed to the teeth, to stake out his house. Luckily, their target was nowhere to be found, and they fled back to SA empty-handed.
But the tables turned when the savvy complainant played their game, luring them back into Zimbabwe. Cops pounced, and the elaborate web of lies was finally untangled.
Now, the gang will be spending a decade behind bars, proving what the NPAZ’s bulletins always boldly declare.
