The government has now warned that individuals exploiting
their proximity to the First Family to commit crimes and those falsely invoking
names of members of the family will face severe legal consequences as their
actions are illegal and will not be tolerated.
Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and
Cabinet (Presidential Communications) Mr George Charamba told The Sunday Mail that
the authorities were considering to enforce stricter protocols for gaining an
audience with the First Family to balance accessibility with protecting the
family’s integrity.
“It has come to the notice of the Office of the President
and Cabinet that there are some criminals who are abusing the names of members
of the First Family to do all sorts of unlawful things, including smuggling
goods through various ports of entry.
“The latest victim has been Sean Mnangagwa, whose name has
been dropped by these criminals in order to ensure that they secure safe
passage for their contraband, thereby dodging rules of the country. That
conduct is criminal and makes the perpetrators very liable.”
Mr Sean Mnangagwa said : “Most of the cases involve people
who call Government officials in my name. They call high offices, usually
ambassadors, ministers and even parastatal executives, using my name or that of
my brother, Collins. My name has been abused on several occasions.
“For example, they will say they have a truck at the border
that needs money to be cleared. They claim to be in South Africa and ask for
assistance in paying the clearance fees.
“They will lie that one of my associates will reimburse
their money in Harare after they pay those huge amounts — sometimes as much as
US$30 000 or more — which is taken using my name by those name-droppers. I want
people to know this so that they do not get swindled of their money.”
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