Duo in the dock for impersonation

TWO Harare men appeared in court yesterday for allegedly masquerading as officials from the Office of the President and Cabinet while negotiating for an investment proposal to open a Grand Prix circuit, convention centre, shopping malls, medical resort and hotels in Victoria Falls.

Busani Tangwena (45) and Takudzwa Mukubvu (40) appeared before magistrate Ms Masimba Chikodzore facing charges of impersonation. They were remanded to April 26. The court opened its case by calling its first State witness, Ms Shamiso Fred.

Ms Fred said when she came to Zimbabwe to prepare for the ground breaking ceremony she met with the two accused persons who identified themselves as officials from the Office of the President and Cabinet.

“In early weeks I started receiving frequent calls from both the accused persons requesting for an urgent meeting with me for they had an important message from the President.

“On one particular Tuesday morning, I had several missed calls. I was attending a board meeting with Mosi chairman, (Secretary for Tourism) Thokozani Chitepo and EIA consultant for the Victoria Falls Project.

“When I went to my office, I saw Tangwena saying he had just left a meeting with the President and the Vice President. He indicated that they were lodging complaints against the project that we were doing in Victoria Falls,’’ she said.

Sometime in March 2018, Ms Fred met with Nigerian investors Prince Adebayo whom she introduced in Zimbabwe after he expressed interest to have business investments in the country.

Fred and Prince Adebayo then jointly made an application to the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry to open a Grand Prix circuit, convention centre, shopping malls, medical resort and hotels in Victoria Falls. The investment totalled $1,2 billion and was provisionally approved.

In June 2018, Ms Fred got an invitation for the investor to come to Zimbabwe.

In July 2018, Ms Fred flew from Dubai into Zimbabwe, where she met Tangwena and Mukubvu through her business acquaintance with Leeroy Serima. The accused persons connived and introduced themselves as members from the Office of the President and Cabinet. Sometime in mid-August 2018, Ms Fred started receiving frequent calls and visits from the accused persons requesting for a meeting with her purporting that they had an important message from the President.

Ms Fred later met Tangwena at her office in Borrowdale and he misrepresented that he was coming from a meeting with President Mnangagwa and Vice President Chiwenga who allegedly had files of the complainant from Victoria Falls Local Government, Victoria Falls National Parks and Unesco.

Tangwena allegedly further highlighted that they were concerned that Feonirich (a Dubai-based company) was working with so many people including members of the G40 and the Minister of Tourism and Mosi.

She suspected foul play and reported to the police, resulting in the arrest of the duo.