Controversial and embattled businessman Shingai Levison Muringi has finally landed behind bars after being found in willful contempt of court, following a scandal involving the illegal disposal of a vehicle under a court order and his brazen defiance of community service instructions.
Muringi, known for his past brushes with the law, was on Tuesday ordered to serve four months in prison after he failed to honour a sentence of community service imposed for contempt of court. The ruling was handed down by Harare magistrate Lisa Mutendereki, who said Muringi had deliberately flouted the conditions of a suspended sentence by never reporting for his unpaid work.
At the center of the storm is a white Toyota Hilux double cab (registration AGE 2352)—a vehicle that Muringi was explicitly barred from selling by a magistrates court after it had been impounded as part of an ongoing fraud and money laundering case.
Despite being granted temporary access to the car, with a strict instruction to make it available to the State upon demand, Muringi sold the vehicle on December 20, 2023, for US$50,000 to businessman Patrick “Chimpa” Mutenha just two days after securing its release from police custody.
Prosecutor Takudzwa Jambawo told the court that Muringi never disclosed the vehicle’s legal status to the buyer and, in an astonishing twist, later tried to recover the car by reporting it stolen, leading to Chimpa’s arrest by the Vehicle Theft Squad.
“Was the vehicle going to be available upon demand after being sold? No,” ruled Magistrate Mutendereki. “It’s the court’s finding that he was in breach of the order, as he knew he was supposed to be in possession of the car at all material times.”
The vehicle remains impounded as an exhibit, and Muringi’s scheme has been exposed as not only criminal but also deeply deceptive. The court heard how he misused the justice system to manipulate ownership and later tried to blackmail the buyer through a fraudulent theft report.
Magistrate Mutendereki emphasised that the community service sentence had been a second chance one that Muringi deliberately squandered. Affidavits presented by the prosecution showed that he never once turned up for the community work he was ordered to do.
As a result, the court enforced the alternative four-month prison term, sending a strong message that no one is above the law—not even those with influence or money.
Muringi’s downfall adds yet another chapter to his growing criminal record, tarnishing his already controversial reputation. Legal analysts say more charges could follow as the State looks deeper into his network of shady business dealings.
