By A Correspondent| In another twist, an engineer at ZBC on Friday appeared in court on allegations of attempting to extort Prophet Tapiwa Freddy of US$20 000 after threatening to expose a love affair between  the prophet and radio presenter Rutendo Makuti.

Mutetepi Maushe (36) was not asked to plead to extortion charges when he appeared before magistrate Dennis Mangosi, who remanded him to December 7 on free bail.

Maushe purported to be Rutendo’s brother in the alleged bid to extort.

Rutendo was married to 2013 Presidential candidate, Kisinoti Munodei Mukwazhe who died in November 2019.

According to the State, sometime last year, Goodness and Mercy Ministries leader T Freddy was involved in a love affair with Makuti.

During the relationship, Mutetepi allegedly connived with Rutendo to extort money from Freddy and started threatening him as a brother to her. He was using the name Tapson Makuti.

Allegations are that Mutetepi instructed Freddy, in a phone call, to pay Rutendo US$20 000 for their love affair not to be exposed to the public and to avoid allegations of rape against him.

Sometime this month, Mutetepi called Freddy and allegedly gave him an ultimatum of up to the end of the day to pay the US$20 000 and sign a document admitting that he raped his “sister”.

Freddy noted the extortionist tendencies and reported the matter to police.

Meanwhile, Radio Zimbabwe presenter Rutendo appeared in court on November 12 accused of extorting Freddy for US$35,000.

Rutendo, 33, was granted Z$5,000 bail by Harare magistrate Sheunesu Matova, who remanded her to December 9.

The court heard that sometime in 2020, Freddy had an affair with Makuti who later threatened that if he did not meet her financial and material demands, she would expose the affair.

It is alleged that sometime in August 2021, Freddy was summoned by Chief Chikwaka of Goromonzi. Upon his arrival at the chief’s homestead, he received information that there were some police officers who wanted to extort him at the chief’s residence.

Freddy, says the prosecution, drove off without entering the chief’s home.

The preacher was stopped by police officers at a roadblock on Mutoko Road not too far from the chief’s home.

The officers, the court heard, told Freddy that they had been given instructions by their superior, an Inspector Jaji, and Chief Chikwaka not to allow him passage.