DT Correspondent
Former Sunday Mail editor Edmand Kudzayi is currently a fugitive after allegedly extorting $US40,000 from West Properties, claiming he would withhold sensitive information about the company from publication.
His alleged accomplice, Nominate Chazwe, recently appeared in court before Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa, who remanded him in custody until February 13 for a bail application.
The case revolves around West Properties’ prior engagement with Kukurigo Communications Private Limited, where they would place adverts, flyers, and other public communications.
It is alleged that during this time, Chazwe was introduced to the complainant by Kudzayi, the director of Kukurigo Communications, as his working partner, setting the stage for the alleged extortion.
“Sometimes in June 2024, accused person acting in connivance with Kukurigo Communications and its editor Edmund Kudzayi who is still at large hatched a plan to extort money from the complainant and threatened the complainant that they had some information that they had obtained which, if published would tarnish the company and its managing director Kenneth Raydon Sharpe.
“The accused person acting in connivance with Kudzayi demanded money amounting US$40 000 so that the information would not be published.
“The complainant acting on the pressure exerted negotiated to deposit US$24 344 which was handed over to Kukurigo Communications and received by Kudzayi,” the State alleges.
The court heard that after a few months Chazwe again acting in connivance with Kudzayi further started demanding more money from the complainant threatening to publish the same information should the complainant have failed to make payment.
It is further alleged that the two accused persons did not stop demanding money from the complainant and giving threats of tarnishing Sharpe’s image.
“Accused was then given US$1 000 which he told complainant to leave it at Horizon Hotel and was given to Noah Njambi“On 8 February 2025 the accused again demanded money from the complainant which led the complainant to file a report at ZRP Harare Central.
“An arrangement was made, that the complainant would give the accused money the US$4 000 which he was demanding in the presence of the police.
“The accused person indeed met the complainant and was given US$4 000 leading to his arrest by the police and recovery of that US$4 000,” the State alleges.
