The trial of three men accused of impersonating security officials and claiming to act on behalf of President Mnangagwa’s son, Sean Mnangagwa, to extort a miner, has resumed after a Bulawayo magistrate dropped one of the seven charges against them.
Munyaradzi Charakupa, Tawanda Mangi, and Victor Jaja face charges including fraud, extortion, attempted extortion, and impersonation of public officials.
The court cleared Jaja of the charge alleging he claimed to have killed four people to intimidate the complainant, Dumisani Dube, due to insufficient evidence.
Prosecutors allege the trio posed as agents from the President’s Department, Police Protection Unit, and Military Intelligence, threatening to revoke mining licenses unless they paid over US$55,000 between February and August 2024.
They reportedly invoked Sean Mnangagwa’s name, claiming to act on his behalf, although Sean denied any knowledge of their activities.
The suspects allegedly forced Dube to pay US$40,000 using a forged Power of Attorney, and demanded additional funds for “accommodation and car servicing.” They also attempted to access Fools Mine by impersonating police officers to assess gold deposits. The trial has been scheduled to continue on August 22.
