Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. FRESH evidence from the Mines ministry, police dockets and High Court applications have revealed that convicted Chinese investor Zheng Zhangxian is at the centre of an alleged new sophisticated fraud scheme designed to illegally seize the gold ore dump he was ordered to return.
The investigation, building on a landmark exposé of the Reajin Mines theft case, uncovers a multi-layered campaign involving a new entity — the Zhangveng Syndicate.
The Mines ministry has confirmed to the police that the syndicate is not the owner of the disputed dump and is under investigation for falsifying survey documents.
The alleged scheme suggests that Zheng, who was recently convicted for theft of over 5 000 tonnes of ore from Emmanuel Ndemera, a miner, has partnered new local associates to continue his legal fight.
He is reportedly using what the ministry has declared an illegal corporate vehicle and allegedly falsified paperwork in a brazen attempt to circumvent his conviction and a US$875 667,67 restitution order.
Just hours after the Mutoko Regional Magistrates Court delivered its verdict against Reajin Mine on September 8, 2025, a new entity — Zhangveng Syndicate — was formalised.
Its directors are Vengai Kurarama, a Zimbabwean, and the convicted Zheng.
According to sources close to the investigation, the timing was no coincidence.
“The syndicate was created to take the dump,” the sources said.
“The day they were given a verdict by the magistrate is when they created a syndicate.”
The Mines ministry has deemed the structure illegal.
A legal expert familiar with the case explained that Zimbabwean law requires foreign nationals to be cleared by the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (Zida) and to form properly registered companies with locals, not informal syndicates.
“Zhangveng Syndicate contravenes the law. A Zimbabwean and a foreigner cannot form a syndicate; it was supposed to be a registered company,” the expert noted.
The dispute escalated when a Mines ministry fact-finding mission, using a hand-held GPS, pinpointed the location of the contested dump.
In a letter dated October 6, 2025, the ministry delivered an unequivocal finding saying the dump lies approximately 1,6km outside the boundary of Zhangveng’s registered claims.
The finding has sparked a criminal investigation, with a case filed at Mtokoo Police Station (CR 6809 of 25).
The charges, based on the ministry’s evidence, include contravening section 376 of the Mines and Minerals Act and section 383 (False Declaration).
The ministry letter, confirmed to have been presented to the police, states that the dump is being stolen from Ndemera’s mine and that Zhangveng is not its owner.
Zhangveng Syndicate took its case to the High Court, filing an urgent chamber application (HC 4522 of 2025) to stop Ndemera from interfering with the dump.
The application also allegedly claimed that Ndemera lacked an environmental impact assessment certificate, a claim later disproved by the Environmental Management Agency.
Repeated efforts to obtain a comment from Zhangxian for the past two weeks were fruitless.
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