Sergeant Paul Mutingoringo Dzimbanhete (32), stationed at Karoi Urban Police Station, was sentenced to 36 months in prison, with six months suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour. He will therefore serve an effective 30 months behind bars.
According to the State, between June 3 and 13, 2025, Dzimbanhete confiscated a driver’s licence from Olly Mcupi at a roadblock along the Karoi–Nyamambizi Road and demanded US$50 for its return.
After Mcupi’s father, Sebastian Kumbirai Chinyemba, lodged a complaint, a special team from the Police General Headquarters (PGHQ) launched a sting operation. Acting on their instructions, Mcupi arranged a meeting with Dzimbanhete at TM Supermarket in Karoi. The officer returned the seized licence in exchange for the cash while sitting in a Toyota Gaia.
The undercover police team immediately moved in, capturing the handover on camera. In a desperate bid to conceal the evidence, Dzimbanhete swallowed the marked US$50 note—but investigators later retrieved the money along with a police notebook (ZRP Book 6) showing that he had falsely logged Mcupi’s arrest under the offence of “dangerous parking.”
The court convicted Dzimbanhete of extortion after the initial charge of criminal abuse of office was amended.
Following the conviction, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) issued a statement stressing that law enforcement officers must maintain the highest ethical standards.
“Every police officer is expected to perform their duties with integrity, professionalism, and respect for the law,” the NPAZ said.
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