THE saga involving some members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) in the smuggling of vehicles into the country deepened last week after an alleged kingpin in the underground network was nabbed.
The long arm of the law finally caught up last week with George Madziva, a State security agent, who was being sought by police as the alleged ringleader in the theft of number plates from the Office of the President and Cabinet.
Madziva, who is believed to be well-connected, is accused of being the point-person in facilitating theft of the number plates for use by vehicles smuggled into the country.
He appeared in court before Harare magistrate, Marehwanazvo Gofa, who granted him US$300 bail.
Madziva was represented by Liviours Mundieta.
Madziva’s accomplice, Godfrey Bvenura, who spent a week in remand prison was also granted bail. Bvenura is facing allegations of facilitating the process of stolen vehicle number plates.
According to court papers, Madziva is deployed in the President’s Department research and development unit in Harare. It is the State’s case that sometime last month, Madziva and Bvenhura hatched a plan to defraud the President’s Department.
They teamed up with one Simba who is still at large and made an application to the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) purporting that the President’s department based at Chaminuka building, Harare, was applying for a registration book and plates in respect of a Renault Duster vehicle.
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The two allegedly misrepresented that the vehicle belonged to the President’s Department.
Sometime during the same month, the application was received at the CVR Harare offices for the Renault Duster vehicle purportedly owned by the President’s Department.
The Central Registry department acted on the misrepresentation and processed the registration book and number plates. However, the deputy registrar became suspicious of the application after it emerged that another individual had applied for number plates for the President’s Department. Both, the police and the President’s department were alerted.
lt is alleged that on October 11, Madziva and Bvenhura proceeded to CVR Offices, along Robson Manyika Road, Harare, to collect the registration book and plates.
They, however, failed to collect the number plates and registration book since the deputy registrar was not available. On October 12, 2023, the two once again proceeded to the CVR building where Bvenhura was arrested as he was about to receive the registration book and number plates, but Madziva ran away.
Their arrest came after several members of the President’s Department were arrested over similar allegations.
Another State security agent, Tatenda Dzapasi, an aide of Vice President Kembo Mohadi, also appeared in court facing the same allegations.
He was granted US$800 bail last week.
