A 37-year-old Harare man who had recently been released from prison under the Presidential Amnesty has been sentenced to an effective 10 years’ imprisonment for theft of a motor vehicle.
Tafadzwa Nemadziva was convicted at the Harare Magistrates’ Court following evidence that he had fraudulently taken possession of a commuter vehicle earlier this month.
The court heard that on 13 March 2026, Nemadziva boarded a Nissan Caravan along Simon Mazorodze Road en route to Budiriro, where he falsely represented himself as a police officer.
Upon arrival in Budiriro, someone approached the driver of the kombi and hired him to carry school children to the airport for a school trip.
While at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Nemadziva exploited the trust he had established to gain access to the vehicle’s keys. He then drove off under the pretence of going to buy food, but did not return.
The theft was quickly discovered after the vehicle’s conductor raised the alarm. The owner subsequently tracked the van along Mazowe Road using a tracking device.
Detectives from the CID Vehicle Theft Squad later intercepted Nemadziva at a roadblock along the Centenary–Harare Road, where he was arrested. The vehicle, valued at US$18,000, was recovered in full.
In a statement following the conviction, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) urged members of the public to exercise caution and avoid entrusting vehicles or keys to unknown individuals.
It also warned that beneficiaries of Presidential Amnesty who reoffend would face firm legal consequences.
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