Five more dealers nabbed in registration plates blitz

Zvikomborero Parafini

FIVE more car dealers have been arrested in the ongoing blitz against dealers who are smuggling vehicles from South Africa and illegally placing registration plates linked to the President’s office to evade paying taxes and toll fees.

All five appeared in court yesterday before magistrate Donald Ndirowei who remanded them in custody pending bail considerations.

Aleck Dzepatsva (42) was the first to appear, facing four counts of fraud and illegal importation of goods.

On behalf of the State, prosecutor Pardon Dziva alleged that sometime this year, Dzepatsva, in connivance with Edmore Manyonda, who is already on remand, were smuggling vehicles into the country.

On the first count, the two smuggled a KIA truck with an obliterated chassis into Zimbabwe.

In an effort to conceal the illicit deal, they affixed the vehicle with a set of registration number plates belonging to Counter Intelligence in the Office of the President and Cabinet.

They did so to rob the Government of taxes, affecting the good administration of the Central Vehicle Registration system.

The truck was recovered from Manyonda.

On the second count, Dziva had it that sometime in May, Manyonda and Dzepatsva made a swap and top deal with Enos Takundwa, who is already on remand, for a Toyota Hilux GD6 and received a Toyota Aqua and US$7 000 as payment.

The Toyota Hilux GD6 had been smuggled from South Africa.

The motor vehicle was recovered from Fungai Chimwamurombe who bought it from Enos Takundwa. In another case, Brian Matongo (41), Tinashe Kanda (41) and Elvis Jieman(38) appeared before the same magistrate facing fraud charges.

Allegations are that sometime, in 2018 the trio connived with other responsible authorities from Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) and the Central Vehicle Registration (CVR) and fraudulently registered smuggled vehicles into the system of the aforementioned institutions.

On December 12, 2017, Matongo acting in connivance with Wisdom Ndebele, who is still at large, smuggled a Toyota Fortuner from South Africa into Zimbabwe.

In a bid to benefit from Zimra, Zinara and CVR exemptions of tax, licences and toll fees, the two connived with Kanda, who then supplied vehicle registration book and number plate, which belongs to The Office of the President and Cabinet.

Subsequently, Jieman evaded payment of tax, vehicle licences fees as well as toll fees nationwide for a period extending from December 2018 to August 2023.