That sketchy businessman from Marondera, Francesco Marconati, is still stuck in a remand prison in Inyathi. He got picked up last week for having an illegal gun. His lawyer, Tatenda Mutero, said bail hearings are dragging on in court. Cops from the CID unit made the arrest.
This whole thing started when a security guard at his mine, MineDGL5, reportedly shot and killed a thirty-one year old man named Thabo Ngwenya. Ngwenya was just walking to the shops. Another guy got shot in the arm, too. Marconati says the gun belongs to the mine's shareholders, but records show it is registered to him. This is not his first gun issue. He has a pending case for shooting at a rival's driver back in 2021. Another man named Nqobizitha Moyo claims he was shot in the eye by one of Marconati's guards, with no charges ever filed.
Locals and former employees say the police in Inyathi constantly protect him. He was previously convicted for threatening someone and got community service. He never actually did it. His workers did the service for him while he was in Harare dealing with other cases. His son, Alessandro, also dodged his service with help from a school headmaster. An inmate performing service there wrote an affidavit exposing the whole scam.
Marconati has a long rap sheet. He was convicted of fraud and forgery, getting a five-year sentence before getting bail on appeal. He was also convicted of stealing trust property. People in the area have written letters complaining that he gets special treatment from the law, warning that he is basically running a criminal syndicate. Cops are also accused of ignoring his alleged stockpile of nineteen guns at the mine entrance.
This whole thing started when a security guard at his mine, MineDGL5, reportedly shot and killed a thirty-one year old man named Thabo Ngwenya. Ngwenya was just walking to the shops. Another guy got shot in the arm, too. Marconati says the gun belongs to the mine's shareholders, but records show it is registered to him. This is not his first gun issue. He has a pending case for shooting at a rival's driver back in 2021. Another man named Nqobizitha Moyo claims he was shot in the eye by one of Marconati's guards, with no charges ever filed.
Locals and former employees say the police in Inyathi constantly protect him. He was previously convicted for threatening someone and got community service. He never actually did it. His workers did the service for him while he was in Harare dealing with other cases. His son, Alessandro, also dodged his service with help from a school headmaster. An inmate performing service there wrote an affidavit exposing the whole scam.
Marconati has a long rap sheet. He was convicted of fraud and forgery, getting a five-year sentence before getting bail on appeal. He was also convicted of stealing trust property. People in the area have written letters complaining that he gets special treatment from the law, warning that he is basically running a criminal syndicate. Cops are also accused of ignoring his alleged stockpile of nineteen guns at the mine entrance.
