Court Correspondent

A second witness in the trial of a former corporate manager accused of kidnapping and bashing a whistle-blower in a fraud case this week told the Harare Magistrates Court how the drama unfolded at the victim’s residence in Chitungwiza last year.

Ms Catherine Satande in her evidence in chief corroborated the claim that the defendant, Simbarashe Emmanuel Martin Rondozai, was among the people who abducted and assaulted her husband David Matanda, who is the complainant in the matter.

Rondozai is alleged to have committed the offence in an attempt to cover up misappropriation of funds at a local security company.

Ms Satande insisted that Rondozai (38) was part of a gang that allegedly stormed their Zengeza 5 home in May 2025 from where they whisked Matanda away in a Honda Fit vehicle.

She said on the day in question, her husband’s brother, Rufaro, responded to a knock on the door and saw two people who claimed to be policemen.

Ms Satande said the unidentified men demanded to see Matanda who then went outside the house where she saw him being held by the belt.

“I went back into the house to take my phone and I tried calling my aunt to let her know what was taking place but the call didn’t go through,” she said.

“l went outside again and I saw the people assaulting him. They pushed my husband into a silver Honda Fit and I asked them where they were taking him to and they said they would advise me.”

She described one of the assailants as slim adding that her husband only returned home around 4am, bruised and battered.

Ms Satande said she was afraid to go too close to the car and did not see its other occupants but her husband later told her that one of them was his work colleague.

The court heard that Matanda then fled to his sister’s house in Concession, Mashonaland Central Province, where he stayed for a week before leaving the country.

Presiding magistrate Mr Tapiwa Kuhudzai postponed the matter to August 4.

Rondozai is facing one count of kidnapping. He is alleged to have committed the offence together with four other suspects who are still at large.

According to the State outline, Matanda returned from South Africa on December 16, 2025 and finally made a police report on February 19, 2026.

Meanwhile, Rondozai is facing a separate charge of defrauding another local company, Wellcash Debt Collectors, of nearly US$11 000 in 2024.

He allegedly failed to remit to the company, money recovered from debtors on behalf of creditors.

Rondozai allegedly transferred some of the embezzled money to his unsuspecting mother.

The matter is pending before Harare Provincial Magistrate Ms Ruth Moyo and will be back in court on August 14.