Bond coins driver in soup over WhatsApp

​

BY COURTS CORRESPONDENT

A naughty driver of a South African trucking firm, Prestige Carriers, contracted to transport bond coins into Zimbabwe, this week appeared at the Harare Magistrates' Court charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act after he sent on social media an invoice and the quantity of coins he was carrying.

Tinashe Sikwila (32) of Gweru was not asked to plead when he appeared before magistrate, Josephine Sande. The State alleges Sikwila was entrusted with providing maximum security to the money.

The State's case is that on 20 September this year, Sikwila, whose company was hired by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to ferry the money, was part of the escort team that transported two trunks of Zimbabwean bond coins from South Africa.

During the collection of the bond coins from South Africa Mint, where they were manufactured, Sikwila allegedly took a picture of the invoice and sent it to a South African number owned by one Calisto.

Prosecutor Sebastian Mutizirwa, who appeared for the State, said on the same day the invoice showing the amount of bond coins was circulated on social media platforms, thereby, compromising the security of the escort team and Zimbabwean government.

On 21 September, RBZ staffers met accused and his escort team at Beitbridge Border Post, where they were alerted that the invoice accompanying the bond coins had been leaked on social media.

Upon arrival in Harare, all the escort members were ordered to open their WhatsApp messages in an effort to sniff out who had leaked the sensitive information and it was allegedly discovered that accused had committed the offence. LOCAL