A woman from Chinhoyi, who worked as a radio presenter at Platinum FM, has been arrested for pretending to be a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) agent. According to The Sunday Mail, Thandeka Chitombo, also known as Ndekah-T on air, was taken into custody on Friday and charged with impersonating a public officer.
It has been revealed that she falsely claimed to be a member of the ZANU PF Central Committee, and she was found in possession of counterfeit identity cards that identified her as a high-ranking member of the ruling party. Chitombo appeared in court before a magistrate in Chinhoyi and has been remanded in custody until her next hearing, which is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday 5 February 2024).
The complainant in the case is Davis Mugadza, the station manager at Platinum FM, which is owned by Zimpapers. According to the prosecution, Chitombo initially approached Mugadza in October 2023, expressing her willingness to work as a presenter. Later, she presented credentials that claimed she was affiliated with the CIO and had been assigned to the radio station for an intelligence task.
Mugadza contacted the CIO’s offices in Chinhoyi to verify her claims, and they requested time to investigate. On Thursday, the CIO team contacted Mugadza and disowned Chitombo. Mugadza then reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused at the radio station’s studios on Friday.
During a search of her residence in the Ruvimbo high-density suburb, a fake diplomatic identification card and two counterfeit ZANU PF identification cards were discovered. These fake cards falsely represented her as a Central Committee member for Mashonaland West and Central provinces.
The investigation is ongoing, and Chitombo will face legal consequences for her alleged impersonation and possession of counterfeit identification documents.