The trial of a 38-year-old Harare man accused of kidnapping and assaulting a former workmate to prevent him from exposing corporate fraud has entered its defence stage at the Harare Magistrates Court.
Simbarashe Emmanuel Martin Rondozai is facing one count of kidnapping as defined under Section 93 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The state alleges that in May 2025, Rondozai and four accomplices, who remain at large, abducted and assaulted David Matanda (35) to cover up the misappropriation of funds at a local security company where they worked.
Matanda had worked under Rondozai's supervision for over five years.
Taking the stand, Rondozai denied all allegations and disputed the testimonies given by Matanda, the complainant's juvenile brother Mufaro Mubaiwa, and Matanda's wife, Catherine Satande.
Rondozai testified that he was arrested at his home and was only informed of the kidnapping charges afterward.
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He argued that police told him the complainant identified him by a black facial mark, whereas his actual facial mark was different and had been surgically removed in 2005.
While admitting Matanda was once his subordinate, Rondozai noted that Lancelot Muswere was the complainant's direct supervisor.
He also questioned how Matanda managed to cross the crocodile-infested Limpopo River into South Africa.
Earlier in the trial, the complainant’s wife, Catherine Satande, testified that five men posing as law enforcement officers abducted her husband from their Chitungwiza residence in a silver Honda Fit.
She said she did not immediately report the incident because she genuinely believed the men were police officers.
Satande maintained that her husband fled to South Africa in fear for his life, communicating only via his aunt’s phone while relatives helped support their children.
According to the state, Matanda returned to Zimbabwe on December 16, 2025, and finally filed a police report on February 19, 2026.
Satande added that one of the abductors who assaulted her husband had a beard.
Mubaiwa (17) testified in camera due to his status as a juvenile under the law.
The kidnapping trial continues before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai.
Separately, Rondozai faces a trial before Harare provincial magistrate Ruth Moyo on October 10 for allegedly defrauding Wellcash Debt Collectors of nearly US$11 000 in 2024 by transferring unremitted debt recoveries to his unsuspecting mother.