RADIO PRESENTER REMANDED IN CUSTODY

A female Platinum FM radio presenter who masqueraded as a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operative to the radio’s station manager before her arrest last week was yesterday further remanded in custody.

This is after she was also arraigned before Chinhoyi Magistrate’s Court on Saturday, where she was remanded in custody until yesterday.

The accused, Thandeka Hilda Chitombo (30), whose pseudo name on the radio is Ms Ndeka-T, was in court yesterday for a bail hearing but her lawyer, Tinashe Dzvore applied for a postponement, which was granted by the State.

She is facing impersonation charges as defined in section 179 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act chapter 9:23.

According to the State, the complainant in the case is Mr Davies Mugadza, the Station manager at Zimpapers’ Mashonaland West radio station, Platinum FM.

It is the State’s case that the accused, who first approached the radio station manager to volunteer as a presenter in October 2023, later presented credentials purporting she was a member of the CIO.

She is alleged to have told Mr Mugadza that she had been deployed to the radio station on a “CIO intelligence task”.

Mr Mugadza then contacted the CIO’s offices in Chinhoyi to confirm her credentials and they requested time to investigate.

On Thursday, Mr Mugadza was contacted by the team, who disowned the accused. The complainant then made a police report, leading to the accused’s arrest on Friday at the radio station’s studios in Chinhoyi.

A search at her house in Ruvimbo high-density suburb led to the discovery of a fake diplomatic identification card and two counterfeit Zanu PF identification cards purporting that she was a Central Committee member for Mashonaland West and Central provinces. Herald

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