A 32-year-old Harare man has appeared in court accused of posing as a court official and attempting to extort US$900 from a motorist by allegedly claiming he could make a concluded traffic case disappear.
Claddrine Chikafu appeared before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai facing an extortion charge.
He was remanded in custody pending a bail ruling.
Prosecutor Chipo Muvhamba told the court that Chikafu allegedly worked with accomplices who are still at large to extort the complainant.
The complainant had previously been prosecuted at the Norton Magistrates’ Court following a May 2025 road traffic accident.
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He was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison but later appealed to the High Court, which substituted the custodial sentence with community service. However, because he had already spent a month in prison, the community service order was also set aside, effectively bringing the matter to an end.
The State alleges that in June 2026, Chikafu and his accomplices posed as court officials and detectives and told the complainant that his case had been revived.
They allegedly demanded US$900, claiming the money would be used to destroy his court file and prevent further legal action.
The complainant reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission’s police unit on July 6.
ZACC officers allegedly set a trap using marked money. Chikafu reportedly sent Gift Machemedze to collect the cash at Eastgate Mall.
Machemedze was arrested and allegedly implicated Chikafu, who was arrested on July 17, 2026.
Chikafu remains in custody pending the bail ruling.
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