Don Makanyanga
Check-Point Desk
Five officials stationed at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport are expected to appear before the Harare Magistrates Court on Thursday, November 12, facing allegations of criminal abuse of duty as public officers after they allegedly solicited and received bribes from travellers entering Zimbabwe.
The accused are Ncube Sithabiso (47), a detective sergeant with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP); Mbira Aquisilia (40), a detective constable; Norman Chepi (45), an inspector with the Ministry of Agriculture; and Plant Health Assistants Danda Ratidzo (48) and Ngwenya Tafadzwa (44).
They are facing charges of criminal abuse of duty as public officers as defined in Section 174 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) received a tip-off from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) on November 9, 2026, alleging that officials and other stakeholders stationed at the airport were unlawfully demanding money from returning residents and visitors entering the country.
ZIMRA subsequently invited ZACC officers to its offices to review closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from its Command Centre in Harare, which monitors activities at the country’s borders.
The footage allegedly showed individuals suspected to be ZIMRA officials and other stakeholders soliciting and receiving money from travellers, particularly passengers arriving aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Following the review, ZACC and ZIMRA officers proceeded to the airport, where they identified and apprehended the five suspects.
Searches conducted on the suspects allegedly led to the recovery of money in various currencies from their handbags and pockets.
The recovered cash comprised US$1 061, 700 Chinese yuan, 10 000 Tanzanian shillings, 60 United Arab Emirates dirhams, R10, five euros, 10 000 Rwandan francs and 1 000 Congolese francs.
Investigations established that the accused were giving preferential treatment to foreign nationals by allowing them to enter Zimbabwe without producing the required documentation or having their luggage subjected to mandatory searches.
In return, they allegedly solicited and received money from the travellers in exchange for allowing them to bypass the prescribed immigration and border clearance procedures.
