HARARE
–
Three
journalists
–
Desire
Tshuma
(47)
of
Observer
News,
Simbarashe
Sithole
(36),
and
Gideon
Madzikatidze
(38)
of
Bulawayo24
News
–
have
been
arraigned
before
the
Harare
Magistrates’
Court
on
charges
of
extortion.
It
is
the
State’s
case
that
on
15
April
2025,
Desire
Tshuma
allegedly
contacted
the
complainant,
Mr.
Tafadzwa
Tembura,
a
senior
official
at
the
Zimbabwe
Copyright
Centre
(ZICCD),
via
WhatsApp
using
a
NetOne
number.
Tshuma
identified
himself
as
a
journalist
from
Observer
News
and
claimed
to
be
investigating
a
fraud
case
involving
Tembura
and
more
than
US$20,000
in
mismanaged
employee
funds.
Tshuma
allegedly
offered
not
to
publish
the
story
in
exchange
for
US$100.
The
complainant
complied
and
paid
the
amount
at
a
meeting
along
Kwame
Nkrumah
Avenue
in
central
Harare.
The
next
day,
Tshuma
allegedly
returned
with
two
other
journalists,
Sithole
and
Madzikatidze,
who
claimed
to
represent
Bulawayo24
News.
The
complainant
was
pressured
to
buy
them
lunch
and
again
coerced
into
paying
another
US$100,
bringing
the
total
paid
to
US$200.
On
16
April,
Tshuma
arranged
yet
another
meeting
under
the
pretext
of
getting
the
complainant’s
side
of
the
story.
However,
the
tone
of
the
meeting
remained
coercive.
On
22
April,
Sithole
allegedly
sent
a
WhatsApp
message
to
maintain
pressure,
and
on
23
April,
Tshuma
forwarded
a
draft
article
authored
by
Sithole
and
Madzikatidze.
The
draft
contained
damaging
allegations
and
came
with
a
warning:
the
story
would
be
published
if
more
money
wasn’t
paid.
The
complainant
then
alerted
the
Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption
Commission
(ZACC),
suspecting
extortion.
A
sting
operation
was
conducted,
and
on
23
April,
all
three
journalists
were
caught
red-handed
accepting
US$100
in
trap
money
at
the
same
Kwame
Nkrumah
Avenue
location.
Each
was
granted
US$100
bail
and
is
expected
back
in
court
on
28
May
2025.