BULAWAYO – Prosecutors in Bulawayo have charged three in-laws of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son, Collins, with dealing in dangerous drugs.
Amina Jassinta Jessub Arab, 47, the mother of Collins’ second wife, Kelsea Tafirenyika, her daughter Dyonne Tanaka Tafirenyika, 28, and their relative Noreen Jessub, 51, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Taurai Manuwere on Thursday.
Manuwere postponed his ruling on their bail application to Monday.
The trio were arrested on Wednesday at a lodge in Bulawayo’s Ilanda suburb.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, police searched their rooms and allegedly found two sachets of cocaine worth ZiG9,000 in Jessub’s room, hidden inside a shoe, and two sachets of cocaine in Arab’s room, concealed in a small bag.
In Tafirenyika’s room, police allegedly found a sachet of crystal meth, another sachet of cocaine and US$53,055 in cash, the NPA said.
The prosecution opposed bail, with investigating officer Phillimon Gumberu saying there was “overwhelming evidence” against the three women, making them a flight risk.
In an affidavit opposing bail, Gumberu said the large amount of cash recovered from Tafirenyika was “proceeds of crime” which she had “failed to account for”.
The prosecution urged the magistrate to dismiss the bail application, arguing that the state had a strong case and direct evidence linking the trio to the alleged offences. It also argued that the women were likely to abscond or evade trial and alleged that the family was involved in a criminal enterprise.
Defence lawyer Brezhnev Mathonsi, however, insisted that the three were suitable candidates for bail.
“The state already has all their passports, and there are no witnesses that could be interfered with as the state has already collected all its evidence at the scene,” Mathonsi said.
He argued that the prosecution case was weak, particularly because several security agencies had been involved in searching the crime scene, raising the possibility that the drugs had been planted to incriminate the women.
“While the alleged offence might be grave, the accused enjoy a presumption of innocence until proven guilty at trial,” Mathonsi said.
ZimLive reported on Thursday that the arrests came just hours before the trio were due to board a private jet chartered from the United Arab Emirates, which had positioned at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport.
The jet was grounded overnight on Wednesday and was allowed to leave on Thursday morning without the three women.
Meanwhile, Kelsea, who was arrested on drugs charges on August 4, was re-arrested on fresh charges on Thursday night after she had been released bail.
Prosecutors have charged her with money laundering, accusing her of buying properties including luxury vehicles and houses worth $10 million from the proceeds of drug dealing. One of the vehicles, a Toyota Land Cruiser, was repossessed from Arab on August 13. Her bail application was postponed to Monday.
