Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku Danimasuku4455gamil.com
THE trial of a murder and armed robbery suspect who falsified his national identity card to evade arrest has taken a new twist with the investigations officer from the police homicide section testifying.
The accused, Justin Mpofu, who was arrested last year after being on the run for 15 years, appeared for trial on Monday 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.
During cross-examination, Mr Ngwenya asked the detective to produce evidence.
“Produce documents proving that this is Justin Mpofu?” he asked.
In response the Detective Assistant Inspector told the court: “Upon arresting the accused person, we searched him and found a national identity card,
birth certificate and a licence bearing the name Ryan Ncube. But our investigations established that he was Justin Mpofu and had used unscrupulous means to obtain identity particulars. The community members said they know him as Justin Mpofu.”
The detective further told the court that a woman named Sibonginkosi Tshuma and a man named Jabulani Ncube, who had claimed to be his parents, denied being his parents.
“The accused went on to use fake documents at the Bulawayo High Court. I obtained an affidavit, which the accused had authored and submitted in his bail application,” said the detective.
The officer also told the court that the accused’s wife, Florence Chisiri — a woman who is in remand prison together with the Vumbunu sisters, Sekai ex- and Georgina for allegedly supplying information — gave him an affidavit stating that the accused is Justin Mpofu.
The matter was postponed to 2 March 2026. During cross-examination, after Mr Ngwenya had asked the detective to produce evidence, the later responded: “I have photographs of the accused being on the wanted list and an affidavit, which was written by his ex-wife, Florence Chisiri.”
Mr Ngwenya countered: “But the evidence you are referring to was not presented to the court.”
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 reportedly 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 and 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.
