Another dealer sucked in Magaya car saga

Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
Another local car dealer has been implicated in the importation of a vehicle for Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries leader Prophet Walter Magaya’s wife and evading to pay import duty. Victor Ngonidzashe Matiyenga (27), who runs a car sales company at Greencroft in Harare, yesterday appeared before magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe, charged with fraud.

This brings the number of people arrested so far over the issue to three.

Matiyenga reportedly connived with another car dealer, Upenyu Prosper Mashangwa (35) and a commodity broker Cosmas Mushininga, who are already on remand. After importing the vehicle, a Landrover Discovery 2014 model valued at $116 000 for Mrs Tendai Magaya, the trio reportedly misrepresented to Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials that the vehicle was a 2004 model bought at an auction and that it had been previously registered by CMED (Pvt) Ltd.

Matiyenga was remanded to April 30 on $100 bail and was being represented by Mr Simon Mupindu.

Prosecutor Ms Sharon Mashavira alleged that on July 15 last year, Admire Mango, a senior overseer at PHD Ministries for Chitungwiza area decided to acquire a vehicle for Mrs Magaya.

He was referred to Mashangwa by Gilbert Mafusire. Mrs Mashavira said Mashangwa was given $80 000, which he said was enough to import the vehicle. Mashangwa, the court heard, roped in Mushininga and Matiyenga and the trio imported the said vehicle.

They were given a further $36 000 for duty and registration by Mango.

Instead of paying the prescribed import duty, the duo misrepresented to ZIMRA that the vehicle was not a recent import, stating that Mrs Magaya had bought it on January 24, 2009 at a public auction from KM Auctions who sold it on behalf of CMED (Pvt) Ltd.

They purported that the vehicle had been previously registered by the CMED and that it was a 2004 model.

Due to the misrepresentation, ZIMRA undervalued the vehicle at $18 000 and the pair was made to pay $900, which is five percent of the amount.

The anomalies were discovered by ZIMRA on March 13 this year, leading to the seizure of the vehicle and issuance of a notice of seizure to Mrs Magaya.