Prosper Dembedza
Herald correspondent
A 32-year-old Harare man has appeared in court on allegations of trafficking desperate job seekers to Dubai using fake vacancies.
Tinashe Gondo was facing human trafficking and conducting an employment agency without registration charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa.
He was remanded in custody to Monday for bail consideration. It is the State’s case that sometime in August 2026 Gondo told the victim that there were vacancies for salespersons in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
He claimed that he was an agent contracted by Bukiwel Facktes Company based in Dubai and that there were many vacancies for buying and selling with good salaries.
During the first week of September 2026, Gondo assisted the victim to apply for a passport, and on September 5, 2026, the accused processed a visa and air tickets for the victim.
The victim left Zimbabwe for South Africa by road on September 7, 2026. On September 7 2028, the victim boarded an Emirates flight to Dubai at OR Tambo International Airport.
Upon arrival at Dubai International Airport, the victim was escorted to Sharja Town where he was told that there were no jobs for buying and selling as promised by the accused.
The victim was forced to open 12 bank accounts and engage in scams by applying for bank loans and committing fraud.
In October 2026, the victim later escaped and went to the Zimbabwean Embassy, which facilitated his repatriation back home.
