Former Real Star Security manager convicted after alleged bid to silence fraud witness

A former manager at Real Star Security has been convicted of kidnapping and assaulting a former subordinate in what prosecutors said was a calculated attempt to suppress information about alleged fraud at the company.

Simbarashe Emmanuel Martin Rondozai was found guilty of kidnapping David Matanda in May 2025 after Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai ruled that the State had presented a compelling case supported by overwhelming evidence. Rondozai was remanded in custody, with the court scheduled to hear mitigation submissions before sentencing.

The conviction brings to an end a disturbing case in which a former corporate manager stands accused of using intimidation and violence against a person who allegedly held information about suspected fraudulent transactions at his former workplace.

Rondozai had worked as a manager at Real Star Security, where Matanda was his subordinate for almost a decade. Prosecutor Monalisa Magwenzi told the court that Rondozai had a clear motive: Matanda allegedly knew about suspected fraud and misappropriation of funds at the company and was regarded as a potential witness in investigations.

According to the State’s case, the kidnapping was not a random act of violence but an organised effort to silence Matanda before he could disclose what he knew. Rondozai allegedly worked with four accomplices, who remain at large, to abduct Matanda from his home in Chitungwiza after posing as police officers.

The court heard that Matanda was assaulted in front of his wife and his 17-year-old brother before being blindfolded, handcuffed and forced into a silver Honda Fit. During the attack, he allegedly recognised Rondozai, his former supervisor.

The group allegedly told Matanda that he was under arrest but did not explain what offence he had supposedly committed. He was then taken to a secluded location and detained for approximately eight hours, during which he was questioned about operations at Real Star Security and pressured not to implicate Rondozai in the fraud investigations.

Prosecutors further alleged that Matanda was threatened with death if he reported the attack. In an especially chilling claim presented in court, one of the suspects allegedly told him that he had been taken to the same place where pro-democracy activist Itai Dzamara was killed, warning that they could dispose of him in a similar manner without consequence because of alleged connections to powerful individuals.

Matanda was eventually abandoned along New Chitungwiza Road. Fearing for his safety, he fled to South Africa, where he remained from June until December 2025. He returned to Zimbabwe on 16 December but, after allegedly receiving fresh threats in January, only reported the matter to police on 19 February 2026.

Magwenzi said forensic material extracted from Rondozai’s cellphone did not exonerate him. The State also called Matanda’s younger brother and Rondozai’s wife, Catherine Satande, as witnesses during the trial.

The kidnapping case was not the only criminal matter hanging over Rondozai. In a separate case, he was accused of converting US$10,811 held in trust by Wellcash Debt Collectors for its clients. The money had allegedly not been recovered, and Rondozai faced a charge of theft of trust property under Section 113(2)(e) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23].

The allegations paint a troubling picture of a former security-company manager who, instead of answering questions about suspected financial misconduct, allegedly sought to turn the machinery of fear against a potential witness.

The conviction confirms the seriousness of the conduct established in court, while the separate fraud-related allegations remain matters for determination in the appropriate proceedings.