By A Correspondent | ZimEye | Two Chinese nationals have been dragged to court facing fraud charges for allegedly snatching a mining company after forging documents.

The suspects are Niu Shihao, 54, and Wang Runzhi, aged 57.

They appeared before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo, who remanded the two in custody awaiting bail consideration.

The complainant in this case is Kimsum Mining Zimbabwe [Private] Limited, being represented by one of its directors, Xiang Shuangde, a male Chinese adult aged 54.

According to the state, the company is into mining of quartz in Mudzi District at Masarakufa Block of Mines, Mudzi.

Shihao was employed by the complainant in the capacity of a general hand.

Runzhi is his wife.

According to court papers, on 27 February 2025, Xiang Shuangde and Wu Can, both Chinese nationals, formed a company styled Kimsum Mining Zimbabwe [Private] Limited under Zimbabwe company number 4609/23.

The company owned a block of mines in the Masarakufa area, Mudzi.

On formation of the company, the two assumed positions of directors and shareholders, and the company started quartz mining production in Mudzi.

After the formation of the company, accused one was employed by the complainant as a general hand, whose duties, among others, were to organize all the company’s production and operations activities.

“Both the accused persons and the complainant’s representative were residing together at the same address at the material time.

“Sometime in December 2023, the two accused persons hatched a plan to hostilely take over the company from the complainant and took all the company documents in the absence of the complainant, who was in China at the material time, and proceeded to the Company Registry Office and fraudulently added accused one as the third director of Kimsum Mining Zimbabwe [Private] Limited without the board resolution approval of the company directors,” the court heard.

Furthering their criminal act, the two accused connived and registered their company, Newrgy Mining Private Limited, with accused two as the director and another Chinese national.

Armed with the fraudulent documents, the two accused persons then approached the Mashonaland East Provincial Mines Office and fraudulently applied for the transfer of Kimsum Mining Zimbabwe [Private] Limited mining rights to Newrgy Mining [Private] Limited without prior permission and knowledge of the complainant, thereby prejudicing the complainant of his mining rights.

Acting upon the fraudulent misrepresentation by the accused persons, the Mashonaland East Provincial Mines Office cancelled the mining certificate for Kimsum Mining Zimbabwe [Private] Limited and transferred the rights to Newrgy Mining Private Limited.

The complainant later picked up the fraudulent activities by the accused persons and lodged a complaint to the Mashonaland East Provincial Mines Office, and the mining rights were reversed back to Kimsum Mining Zimbabwe [Private] Limited.

The Mashonaland East Provincial Mines Office temporarily suspended operations at the mine pending investigation of the matter.

The complainant later made a police report, leading to the arrest of the accused persons. Subsequent preliminary investigations led to the recovery of forged documents manipulated by the accused persons.

The state said as a result, the complainant suffered prejudice to its reputation and good administration.

Nomsa Kangara prosecuted.- ZimEye