High noon for abusers of First Family name, proximity

Lincoln Towindo and Emmanuel Kafe

INDIVIDUALS exploiting their proximity to the First Family to commit crimes and those falsely invoking names of members of the family will face severe legal consequences as their actions are illegal and will not be tolerated.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail yesterday, Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (Presidential Communications) Mr George Charamba said in response to this “worrying” trend, the authorities were considering to enforce stricter protocols for gaining an audience with the First Family to balance accessibility with protecting the family’s integrity.

This follows a recent incident in which the President’s son, Sean, was targeted by a smuggling syndicate attempting to use his name to bypass customs procedures and illegally bring goods into the country.

“It has come to the notice of the Office of the President and Cabinet that there are some criminals who are abusing the names of members of the First Family to do all sorts of unlawful things, including smuggling goods through various ports of entry,” said Mr Charamba.

“The latest victim has been Sean Mnangagwa, whose name has been dropped by these criminals in order to ensure that they secure safe passage for their contraband, thereby dodging rules of the country.

“That conduct is criminal and makes the perpetrators very liable.”

Mr Charamba said some individuals were abusing their assumed proximity to the First Family to commit crimes.

“While we are at it, we are seeing a very worrisome trend where some Zimbabweans are using proximity to the First Family to take advantage of systems or even commit crimes,” he said.

“That must stop. They are creating a big dilemma for us in the office.

“Ordinarily, we would want to create a sense of approachability of the Presidency, but now if that approachability is being abused, it might mean that we might have to go back to the drawing board so we ensure that we balance approachability against the need to protect the First Family, including the President.

“It’s a trend which is very worrisome and it’s a trend we are very anxious to put an end to so that the First Family is not taken advantage of.”

In an interview, Mr Sean Mnangagwa said he had been targeted several times by criminals, who invoke his name to swindle unsuspecting victims.

He said: “Most of the cases involve people who call Government officials in my name. They call high offices, usually ambassadors, ministers and even parastatal executives, using my name or that of my brother, Collins. My name has been abused on several occasions.

“For example, they will say they have a truck at the border that needs money to be cleared. They claim to be in South Africa and ask for assistance in paying the clearance fees.

“They will lie that one of my associates will reimburse their money in Harare after they pay those huge amounts — sometimes as much as US$30 000 or more — which is taken using my name by those name-droppers.

“I want people to know this so that they do not get swindled of their money.”

Mr Mnangagwa said in some cases, individuals have lost as much as US$40 000 to the criminals.

“As a result, people start calling me asking for their money, and I am shocked, telling them I know nothing about it,” he said.

“That is why I want to let anyone out there know that I am not in the business of calling people and asking for money.

“I do not know why or how they are able to open accounts in South Africa using my name, but I will soon lodge a report with the South African authorities on this issue so that they can be aware and track the culprits.

“I want to reiterate that people should not send money to anyone thinking they are sending it to Sean Mnangagwa, as I do not engage in such activities.”