Harare Car Dealer Duped Over US$52,000 in Fake ZIMRA Border Clearance Scam

Harare Car Dealer Duped Over US$52,000 in Fake ZIMRA Border Clearance Scam

A Harare-based car dealer is counting his losses after being duped by a man who posed as a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) agent.

The suspect, Tichaona Mupo Mhlakaza, had promised to facilitate the clearance of trucks at the South African border.

Also Read: Former ZIMRA Employee Dupes Government Of US$621k In Extensive Fraudulent Civil Servants Vehicle Import Scheme

Deal Gone Wrong at the Border

According to prosecutors, the complainant, Peter Sine, purchased four tipper trucks in Durban, South Africa, in January last year and sought assistance to facilitate their customs clearance into Zimbabwe.

During his search, Sine reportedly engaged Mhlakaza, who claimed to be a ZIMRA agent capable of handling the clearance process. Mhlakaza allegedly quoted a total of US$52,792 to clear the trucks.

Fake Proof of Payment Alleged

Court papers state that on January 20, Mhlakaza sent Sine a proof of payment purporting to show that customs duty amounting to ZiG1,626,000 had already been paid through a ZIMRA agent identified as Globetrek Logistics.

Later that day, the two allegedly met at the corner of Leonard Brezhnev Street and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue in Harare, where Sine handed over the full US$52,792.

ZIMRA Verification Raises Red Flags

Suspicion arose on February 2 this year when Sine approached ZIMRA to verify the payment. He was allegedly informed that no such payment had been made, and that the proof of payment he had been given was fake.

When confronted, Mhlakaza reportedly failed to give satisfactory explanations and instead implicated a third party, one Lloyd Mawadze, whom Sine said he did not know.