Harare Man Jailed for Impersonating Deputy Chief Justice in WhatsApp Recruitment Scam

HARARE – A 23-year-old Harare man has been sentenced to two years in prison after he was convicted of impersonating Deputy Chief Justice Paddington Garwe in a bid to obtain confidential recruitment information from officials at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). Martin Rashai was found guilty of impersonating a peace officer after posing as the country's second-highest-ranking judge and using WhatsApp messages to contact senior JSC officials regarding recruitment processes and job vacancies.

According to court proceedings, the impersonation began on May 5 when JSC deputy head of human resources Tafadzwa Sekeni and human resources officer Abigail Ziti received WhatsApp messages from a mobile number purporting to belong to Deputy Chief Justice Garwe. The sender requested information relating to interviews for information technology officer positions and also sought details concerning a transport officer vacancy at the Kwekwe Magistrates' Court. The requests immediately raised concerns among the officials, who found it unusual that a senior Constitutional Court judge would personally seek updates on relatively junior recruitment matters through a messaging platform.

Despite their suspicions, the individual continued engaging with the officials and claimed he was operating from the Constitutional Court when asked to verify his identity. Believing she was communicating with the Deputy Chief Justice, Ziti initially shared some of the requested information.

Further doubts emerged when attempts to contact the sender by telephone proved unsuccessful. Court records show the suspect insisted that all communication be conducted via text messages and repeatedly maintained that he was Deputy Chief Justice Garwe. Subsequent verification checks by the Judicial Service Commission revealed that no such inquiries had been authorised and that the mobile number being used did not correspond with any official contact details associated with the Deputy Chief Justice.

The matter escalated after officials discovered that both Sekeni and Ziti had been contacted by the same number. The issue was reported internally to JSC Deputy Secretary Kumbirai Katsande before being referred to police investigators.

Investigators from the Criminal Investigations Department uncovered that Rashai had previously applied for employment with the Judicial Service Commission. Police then obtained a warrant compelling telecommunications provider NetOne to release subscriber information linked to the number used in the impersonation attempt. The records confirmed that the SIM card was registered in Rashai's own name. Armed with the information, detectives tracked him to Hurungwe, where he was arrested.

The court ultimately convicted Rashai of impersonating a peace officer and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment. Authorities say the case demonstrates the growing risks posed by digital impersonation schemes and highlights the importance of verification procedures within public institutions. The incident also serves as a warning against the misuse of social media and messaging platforms to impersonate senior government officials for personal gain.

Deputy Chief Justice impersonation