Kidnapper Jailed 42 Months Over Workmate Abduction

Convicted kidnapper Simbarashe Emmanuel Martin Rondozai has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for abducting and assaulting a former workmate in an attempt to stop him from disclosing information about alleged fraud at a security company.

Harare provincial magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai initially sentenced Rondozai to 48 months, but suspended six months for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence.

The court found overwhelming evidence linking Rondozai to the abduction and ruled that the offence was aggravated by the assault and the fact that the complainant was deprived of his freedom for about seven hours.

The State alleged that Rondozai, together with four accomplices who remain at large, abducted David Matanda from his home in Chitungwiza in May 2025. According to prosecutor Monalisa Magwenzi, the abduction was intended to intimidate Matanda into withholding information about alleged fraudulent dealings and misappropriation of funds at Real Star Security, where the two had previously worked.

Magwenzi told the court that Matanda had information concerning the alleged financial misconduct and that the accused and his accomplices sought to prevent him from disclosing it. The prosecution also presented forensic evidence extracted from Rondozai’s cellphone, which it said did not exonerate him. Rondozai denied the allegations during the trial and argued that the State had failed to establish the exact date on which the offence occurred. He said the uncertainty over the date made it impossible for him to raise an alibi.

The State called Matanda’s 17-year-old brother and his wife, Catherine Satande, as witnesses during the trial. The court heard that Matanda fled to South Africa following the incident and returned to Zimbabwe on December 16, 2025. He subsequently reported the alleged abduction to the police on February 19, 2026.

In mitigation, Rondozai appealed for a lighter sentence, telling the court that he was the sole breadwinner for his family. He said his wife was unemployed and that they had two children under the age of five. The court nevertheless imposed the custodial sentence, taking into account the seriousness of the offence, the assault, and the period during which Matanda was allegedly held against his will.

Rondozai, a former corporate manager, is also facing a separate criminal case in which he is accused of defrauding Wellcash Debt Collectors of nearly US$11,000 in 2024. That matter has not yet been concluded and is scheduled to resume on October 10. The fraud allegations remain before the court, and Rondozai is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Simbarashe Rondozai kidnapping case