A Marimba Park man has appeared in court facing fraud charges after allegedly posing as a Ministry of Mines official and duping a complainant out of US$15 000 in a bogus mining Special Grant deal in Nyanga.
Simon Musika (36) appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court charged with fraud. He was remanded in custody and is expected to return to court in May 2026.
The court heard that in July 2025, the complainant’s application for a Special Grant to conduct mining activities in the Nyarugwe area of Nyanga had been rejected at the Ministry of Mines offices in Mutare.
Determined to pursue the application, the complainant travelled to the Ministry of Mines offices in Harare on August 1, 2025, seeking assistance to facilitate approval of the grant.
While at the offices, Musika allegedly approached the complainant and falsely represented himself as an employee of the Ministry of Mines who could assist in processing the Special Grant.
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According to prosecutors, the accused claimed he had the authority to fast-track the application at a cost of US$20 000.
Believing the claims, the complainant agreed to the arrangement and later visited Musika at his residence, where he met the accused’s wife, Kete Maumba, who allegedly confirmed that her husband worked for the Ministry of Mines and had the capacity to assist.
Maumba is already on remand before the Harare Magistrates’ Court in connection with the same matter.
The complainant subsequently handed over US$15 000 in cash after being assured that the Special Grant would be processed within three days.
However, the accused allegedly failed to secure the mining licence and continued giving excuses before becoming evasive.
The complainant later established that Musika was not employed by the Ministry of Mines and realised he had been defrauded, prompting him to file a police report.
The court heard that the complainant suffered a prejudice of US$15 000 and none of the money has been recovered.
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