Three journalists Desire Tshuma, Simbarashe Sithole and Gedion Madzikatidze have appeared in court facing extortion charges.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe alleges that on 15 April 2025, Tshuma allegedly contact Tafadzwa Tembura a senior official at the Zimbabwe Copyright Center and claimed that he was investigating a US$20.000 fraud case involving him.
Tshuma offered not to publish the story if the complaint agrees to give him US$100 to which Tembura complied.
The court also heard that Tshuma accompanied by his two colleagues Sithole and Madzikatidze later met the complaint and made him to buy them lunch, in addition to another US$100.
More details in the statement below:
