Zim man�s double identity revealed
Sharon Mathala | Friday October 28, 2016 16:22
Police investigations have confirmed that his real identity is Malaki Nkiwane contrary to his claim that he is Mike Graduate Mutidzwa. He appeared before magistrate Ntombizodwa Ncube of the Extension II Magistrates Court yesterday.
The investigating officer, Detective Senior Superintendent Sergeant Marapo said a team from the Botswana Police visited Zimbabwe on October 9 to 15 for further investigations, and found that the accused person had presented false information about his identity.
“I arrested the accused person on October 4, 2015 and he gave his names as Mike Graduate Mutidzwa. We did not believe this, hence we extended our investigations to Zimbabwe on October 9, 2016 and came back on October 15,”
“Investigations carried out by the team in Zimbabwe revealed that the accused is not Mike Graduate Mutidzwa; he is in actual fact Malaki Nkiwane, born on June 25 1975,” Marapo said.
Marapo further said they visited the mother of Nkhiwane, Rose Dube, who gave them his original birth certificate and educational certificates bearing all documented evidence against the accused.
“We also visited the Zimbabwe national registration office to who we had previously sent a print out of the accused ‘s finger prints. They also asserted our findings that the accused was not the real Mike Graduate Mutidzwa,” Marapo informed the court.
The police’s hunt for the real Mutidzwa took them on a trip 120Km from Harare, but they did not find the person.
“Unfortunately we did not find him home. We then proceeded to the Zimbabwe National Army headquarters to enquire if the accused was a member of the force and they denied. They said Mutidzwa was a former soldier who had retired due to medical grounds,” Marapo said. He added that the Zimbabwean Police also denied ever working with the accused, who responded by accusing the investigators of fabricating lies about him.
“Can I put it to you that you are deliberately misleading the court? I have been in jail for a very long time. I do not know why and how I could temper with investigations because you know where I stay and you know my mother as well, the person who gave birth to me,” he said.
According to the police, the accused is the same suspect in a case before Broadhurst Magistrates’ Court facing charges of possession of illegal firearms; possession of a ceremonial uniform suspected to be that of the Zimbabwean National Army.
He now faces additional charges of obtaining by false pretences and giving false information to a person employed in the public service in connection with a residence permit he obtained sometime in 2009.
Ruling on bail will be delivered on November 11.