Matrix Disciplinary and Training Centre directors, Tafadzwa Chidawa and Clara Manyapera, appeared before Harare Magistrate Rufaro Panavanhu on Friday, 14 March, facing charges of operating a voluntary organisation without a licence and impersonating child protection officers.
Chidawa (also known as Detective Kedha) and Manyapera were granted bail of US$300 each and were instructed to return to court for routine remand on April 22.
According to a statement from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Chidawa and Manyapera established Matrix Disciplinary and Training Camp between December 2024 and the present without the necessary registration and licensing required by the Private Voluntary Organizations Act. The NPA said:
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Tafadzwa Chidawa (36) and Clara Manyepera (38) have been arrested and brought before the Harare Magistrates Court following allegations of operating an illegal “Matrix Disciplinary and Training Camp” in New Marlborough, Harare. 
The duo faces charges relating to the operation of an unregistered private voluntary organization and the impersonation of child protection officers.
The state alleges that the two established and operated the camp without the necessary registration and licensing required by the Private Voluntary Organizations Act. 
The camp, located at Number 2165 Tokwane Close, reportedly aimed to “rehabilitate” children with delinquency issues, and authorities claim that the two admitted youths into the camp from December 6, 2023, onwards.
Furthermore, the state alleges that, during the camp’s operation, the duo impersonated child protection officers. 
This involved offering services legally reserved for qualified individuals, including measures for observing and correcting behaviors contributing to delinquency, and providing counseling, supervision, and control.
The accused acted unlawfully, thereby breaking the Children’s Act. The State is in possession of video footage of the pair conducting training sessions. 
Chidawa and Manyepera appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court for their initial remand, and the investigation is ongoing. The two were remanded to 20 April on US$300 bail each.
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Chidawa, a former police officer, was recently acquitted of theft charges by Chief Magistrate Vongai Guwuriro at the Harare Magistrates’ Court.
Chidawa and his co-accused—Paradza Passmore Matubu, Perseverance Chisango, Malvern Mutanda, and Francis Takura—had been accused of stealing US$20 000 from a Harare woman, Melody Matanhire.
However, the magistrate struggled to believe the allegations against Chidawa and his associates after the complainant admitted to fabricating parts of her story.

Pindula News

Detective Kedha, also known as Tafadzwa Chidawa, and Clara Manyapera were arrested for running an unlicensed camp for troubled children. They pretended to be child protection officers. The camp aimed to help children with behavior issues. The state says they broke the law by offering services meant for qualified people. They were granted bail but have to go back to court in April. Before this, Detective Kedha was accused of theft, but the case fell apart because the person accusing him admitted to lying.

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