Tafadzwa Nemadziva was sentenced to 10 years for motor vehicle theft shortly after his release under amnesty. He deceived a kombi driver and stole a vehicle at Robert Mugabe International Airport. The vehicle was tracked and recovered, leading to his arrest at a police roadblock.
A Kuwadzana man who was recently released under the Presidential Amnesty programme has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of motor vehicle theft in Harare.
Tafadzwa Ronald Nemadziva, 34, was sentenced by Harare regional magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube after the court found him guilty of stealing a vehicle. The case follows his earlier release from prison, where he had been serving time for two previous counts of motor vehicle theft.
The court heard that shortly after regaining his freedom, Nemadziva committed a similar offence. His actions led to a fresh arrest and conviction, placing him back in custody.
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According to the prosecution, led by Mr Zvikomborero Mupasa, the incident occurred on March 13, 2026, at around 9:45am. The complainant, Charles Manhuna, 23, who works as a kombi driver, had stopped his purple Nissan Caravan at the Flyover along Simon Mazorodze Road to pick up passengers travelling to Budiriro.
Nemadziva boarded the kombi as a passenger and quickly gained Manhuna’s trust by pretending to be a police officer. The court was told that this deception played a key role in the events that followed.
When the vehicle arrived at Budiriro 5 High School, another man, Alexious Chari, approached Manhuna requesting a private hire to transport children from Elebirds Pre-School to Robert Mugabe International Airport for a school trip. Manhuna agreed to the arrangement.
While passengers were being offloaded, Nemadziva insisted on remaining in the vehicle, claiming he could help Manhuna and his conductor, Tinashe Ngaliwe, avoid police roadblocks. The group then travelled together to the airport.
At the airport, Manhuna parked the vehicle and handed the keys to Chari, who was seated in another vehicle with some of the children. He asked him to keep watch over the kombi and move it if necessary. The three men later decided to walk around the airport, leaving the vehicle in Chari’s custody.
The court heard that Nemadziva later claimed he was bored and returned alone to the parking area. Meanwhile, Manhuna boarded another commuter vehicle back to town to collect his cellphone, leaving Ngaliwe behind.
Taking advantage of the situation, Nemadziva approached Chari and falsely stated that he had been sent by Manhuna to buy drinks. Believing the explanation, Chari handed over the keys. Nemadziva then drove the vehicle away from the airport.
Ngaliwe noticed the vehicle being driven off and alerted Chari, who explained how he had been misled. Manhuna was informed and quickly contacted the vehicle owner, Stain Guduza.
Using the vehicle’s tracking system, the complainant and detectives from the CID Vehicle Theft Squad Harare traced the vehicle heading towards Mazowe Road. They followed the signal and alerted officers at a police roadblock along the Centenary–Harare Road.
The accused was intercepted at the 45km peg, where police officers stopped the vehicle and arrested him. The stolen Nissan Caravan, valued at US$18,000, was recovered without damage.
Nemadziva and the recovered vehicle were taken to ZRP RGM Airport, where an official report was made. The case was then referred to CID Vehicle Theft Squad Harare for further investigations, leading to his conviction in court.
