Online Reporter
Prosper Dembedza
Herald Correspondent
A SUSPECTED fraudster from Norton has appeared in court on allegations of using the name of Member of Parliament for Mabvuku-Tafara constituency Honourable Scot Sakupwanya to defraud an unsuspecting complainant of his ZAR 60 000 in a botched mining equipment deal.
Hilton Tapiwa Liwanda was facing fraud charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Tapiwa Kuhudzai.
The court heard that on August 17 2026, the accused person, together with his accomplice, who are still at large, approached the complainant and advised him that he was in communication with Honourable Scott Sakupwanya, whom he alleged needed mining equipment in South Africa.
It is alleged that Liwanda further misrepresented to the complainant that Honourable Sakupwanya was already in South Africa and was in need of South African Rands to meet parking fees of his private jet at Lanseria International Airport, South Africa, since he had United States Dollars.
Liwanda advised the complainant that the money would be reimbursed upon their meeting to discuss the mining equipment deal at DaVinci Hotel in South Africa.
He assured complainant that he had dealt with many clients in the past on a similar deal involving the honorable.
It is the State’s case that Liwanda then supplied the complainant with his accomplice’s South African FNB bank account number 4127324244 into which the complainant was instructed to deposit the money.
Acting upon the said misrepresentation and believing that the money was being sent for the stated purpose, the complainant transferred ZAR 60 000 into the supplied FNB account.
The complainant then proceeded to the agreed meeting point, where he waited for the arrival of the purported Honourable Sakupwanya, but same did not arrive.
The complainant made efforts to have the transaction reversed only to find out that the money had already been withdrawn.
The complainant subsequently contacted Liwanda, who became evasive resulting in the complainant making a police report.
