Online Reporter
FOR two solid years, William Clive Makayi walked tall, chest puffed with borrowed authority.
All along he was convincing desperate job seekers that he was a high-up at the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks).
Armed with fake uniforms, imaginary training camps in his head and a well-rehearsed ranger accent, the 31-year-old Karoi man ran what can only be described as a wildlife recruitment circus, minus the wildlife.
Makayi told his victims they were destined for elite ranger training at Lake Chivero and Marongora National Park — a dream pitch that worked like magic on unemployed youths from Magunje, Karoi, Zvimba, Chinhoyi and Harare.
All they had to do, he said, was pay for uniforms, trunks and “training expenses”.
And pay they did.
Suspiciously, the “recruitment exercise” was conducted mainly on EcoCash.
Conveniently, all the EcoCash accounts were registered in third-party names, including that of his wife.
By the time the fake ranger had finished his tour of duty, hopeful recruits had been relieved of more than US$10 000 — with no uniforms, no training and no wildlife careers to show for it.
The only thing real about Makayi’s operation, it turns out, was his audacity.
Police eventually received a tip-off and went on safari — straight to Makayi’s residence — where they recovered ZimParks uniforms and related apparel, confirming that the accused had indeed been playing dress-up while playing the public for fools.
This time, the “game ranger” met the real rangers of the law.
He was promptly arrested and charged.
The Karoi Magistrates’ Court was unimpressed by his conservation efforts.
On Tuesday, he was slapped with an effective 36 months in prison after being convicted on six counts of fraud and one count of impersonating a public official.
The sentence finally brought an end to a long-running scam that thrived on fake authority, borrowed clothes and the hopes of job seekers willing to believe that a ranger posting could be bought over mobile money.
Instead of patrolling national parks, Makayi will now have plenty of time to reflect on his exploits, courtesy of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service, the only uniformed institution he will legitimately experience for the next three years.
