‘I’m not his father, man tells armed robber, murder suspect in court’

Danisa Masuku, Danimasuku4455gamil.com

IT has emerged during the trial of a man who falsified national identity documents that the person he claimed to be his father vehemently denied this, telling the court that he does not know the suspect.

The accused, Justin Mpofu, who was arrested last year after being on the run for 15 years, appeared for trial facing charges involving contraventions of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, namely counterfeiting, falsifying or causing to be falsified or counterfeited any register or any entry therein, as well as defeating the course of justice.

Mpofu is represented by Mr Kholwani Ngwenya of T J Mabhikwa and Partners.

Mr Jabulani Ncube, who was touted as the father of the accused, denied being the biological father of Mpofu.

“I don’t know the accused, and I have not met him. I don’t know the mother of the child,” he stated.

Mr Ncube also denied that he went to the Registry offices to facilitate having the accused acquire a national identity card.

“This is a lie. The accused is planning to soil my reputation,” he said.

However, Sibonginkosi Tshuma, who posed as the mother of the accused, said:

“I was approached by Sobala Ngwenya who asked me to pose as the mother of the accused and I agreed. I signed the documents to facilitate that he acquires a national identity card”.

The trial continues today (23 February) 2026.

Principal prosecutor, Mr Milton Moyo told the court that Mpofu had been deported from South Africa, where he had been hiding for 15 years. He was wanted by the Zimbabwe Republic Police in connection with murder and armed robbery charges.

“Mpofu was wanted by detectives from the Homicide Section on allegations that he and his accomplices fatally shot Peter Sithole in 2010.
“Following the shooting, they stole ZAR28, two speakers, two mobile phones and an amplifier from a bottle store. Mpofu had been hiding in South Africa and was deported earlier this year,” said Mr Moyo.

Upon his return, Mpofu allegedly devised a plan to evade arrest. He approached Ms Sobala Ngwenya, her accomplices Ms Sibonginkosi Tshuma and Ms Hilda Moyo to assist him in changing his identity to Ryan Ncube. Tshuma posed as the mother to Mpofu. They charged him US$300 for the service.

“Moyo informed a Civil Registry official stationed at Nyamandlovu that she had known Mpofu since childhood and that his father, the late Justin Ncube, had died some years ago.

“They then bribed the Civil Registry official, and it was agreed that Mpofu’s age would be reduced during the processing of the new national identity card. Ngwenya posed as Mpofu’s mother and claimed that Ncube was her ex-husband,” Mr Moyo added.

The trio also approached a village head, Tswapi Mpofu of Village 6A Deli, Nyamandlovu, who confirmed in writing that the suspect was born in his village and was the son of the late Justin Ncube.

The court heard that their cover was blown when detectives from Homicide arrested Mpofu after discovering that he had been masquerading as Ryan Ncube and had obtained a forged national identity card under that name.

Upon interrogation, Mpofu confessed to fraudulently acquiring the identity card with the assistance of Ngwenya and her co-accused.

Ngwenya, Tshuma and Moyo were arrested last year by detectives from the Homicide Section and were sentenced to pay a fine of US$300, failing which they will face six months’ imprisonment.