Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bulawayo \u2013 In a scene ripped from an action film, prominent Bulawayo businessman Mohammed Daka attempted a barefoot escape through his window clad only in boxer shorts as Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) officers closed in early Thursday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fugitive scaled a perimeter wall but was captured hours later at the Plumtree Border Post while attempting to flee into Botswana .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daka, who had been on ZACC’s most-wanted list for months, faces charges of fraud, illegal mine acquisition, forgery, and violating bail conditions related to his alleged orchestration of a complex scheme to seize control of the lucrative Fools Gold Mine near Bulawayo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Core Allegations<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the heart of the scandal lies Fools Mine (later renamed Sheng AN Mining), a gold-rich operation 18km from Bulawayo along the Matopos Highway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Investigators reveal Daka systematically targeted the mine following the mysterious 2021 death of its co-owner, former Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Shuixing Xu. Xu was allegedly poisoned and died days after returning to China in critical condition .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ambassador Xu’s son, Xiaofei Xu, inherited operations but faced intense pressure from Daka, who allegedly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Coerced Xiaofei into making unexplained payments while claiming affiliation with Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO),” according to court documents seen by investigators .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The intimidation culminated in Xiaofei Xu’s deportation from Zimbabwe \u2013 an action investigators “strongly believe” Daka engineered .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With Xu gone, Daka launched an audacious ownership grab, falsely claiming a 52% stake and citing fictitious debts owed by the mine .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fraudulent Tactics and Asset Stripping<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daka’s scheme involved multiple layers of deception:
Forged Documents: He manipulated Zimbabwe’s Indigenous Business laws to produce fake ownership papers and created a fraudulent power of attorney supposedly signed by Xiaofei Xu in April 2024 \u2013 now under investigation by Chinese authorities .
Illegal Asset Sales: Using his fabricated authority, Daka sold critical mining equipment including an excavator valued at $281,750 for just $150,000, plus a VW Amarok and two Honda Fits .
Sham Name Change: Despite Sheng AN Mining being illegally registered in 2022 without required legal procedures , Daka used it as a vehicle for his fraudulent claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ZACC officials confirmed Daka’s arrest followed a formal complaint by Mr. Wang, the mine’s other original co-owner. Wang’s lawyer stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This arrest ends months of brazen asset stripping and document forgery. We have evidence of multiple illegal transactions designed to loot a viable enterprise.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wider Web of Corruption<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The investigation exposed Daka’s alleged accomplices:
Dumisani Dube, Identified as a corporate rescue practitioner who allegedly helped Daka sell the excavator and file false charges against five businessmen later acquitted by Magistrate Shepherd Mnjanja .
Paul Chakangaesu: An associate operating under multiple aliases (Paul Gono\/Paul Samson\/Paul Chisvino) who collaborated on the fake power of attorney .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daka also stands accused of bribing court officials and government functionaries while flaunting connections to powerful figures, including a recent photo-op with controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mining Sector Under Scrutiny<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case highlights systemic corruption within Zimbabwe’s mining sector. ZACC recently arrested two Mines officials for extorting bribes for mining certificates, while Transparency International ranks Zimbabwe poorly (24\/100) on its Corruption Perception Index .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A ZACC spokesperson emphasized:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This arrest signals our resolve. No matter how well-connected or dramatic their escape attempts, those looting national resources will face justice.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daka remains in custody awaiting trial, with legal experts anticipating further charges related to the ambassador’s unresolved poisoning and the illegal deportation of his heir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His capture at the border underscores ZACC’s warning that corruption suspects attempting to flee Zimbabwe will find “nowhere to hide” .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zim GBC News\u00a92025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube Bulawayo \u2013 In a scene ripped from an action film, prominent Bulawayo businessman Mohammed Daka attempted a barefoot escape through his window clad only in boxer shorts… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7135"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7137,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7135\/revisions\/7137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}