By Crime Reporter
BULAWAYO — Three relatives of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s daughter-in-law will remain behind bars after a Bulawayo magistrate denied their bail applications on Monday, citing their ongoing drug dealing charges.
Amina Jassinta Jessub Arab, 47, Dyonne Tanaka Tafirenyika, 28, and their relative Noreen Jessub, 52, have been formally remanded in custody until their next scheduled court appearance on September 3. Arab is the mother of Kelsea Tafirenyika, the second wife of the President’s son, Collins Mnangagwa, while Dyonne is Kelsea’s sister.
The bail denial follows a dramatic police raid last Wednesday at a lodge in Bulawayo’s Ilanda suburb. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), authorities arrested the trio just hours before they were allegedly due to board a private jet chartered from the United Arab Emirates at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport.
During Monday’s ruling, the court sided with the prosecution, which had vehemently opposed bail. In previous hearings, Investigating Officer Phillimon Gumberu argued that the state possessed “overwhelming evidence” and characterised the family as a flight risk involved in a criminal enterprise.
During the initial lodge search, police allegedly recovered two sachets of cocaine hidden inside a shoe in Noreen Jessub’s room, valued at ZiG9,000, and two additional sachets concealed in a small bag in Arab’s room. In Dyonne Tafirenyika’s room, officers reportedly found a sachet of crystal meth, another sachet of cocaine, and US$53,055 in cash—funds the prosecution previously described in affidavits as “proceeds of crime.”
Defense attorney Brezhnev Mathonsi had argued for the women’s release, asserting that they were suitable candidates for bail because they had already surrendered their passports and the state had collected all scene evidence, mitigating any risk of witness interference. The defence had also previously suggested the drugs could have been planted, pointing to the involvement of multiple security agencies.
However, the magistrate ultimately ruled that the suspects must remain in state custody pending trial.
The continued detention of the three women compounds the legal crisis facing the extended family. Kelsea Tafirenyika is currently facing her own high-profile money laundering charges in Harare, where prosecutors allege she amassed a multi-million-dollar real estate and luxury vehicle empire funded by the proceeds of illicit drug sales.
