A man has appeared before the Chinhoyi Magistrates' Court facing fraud charges after allegedly duping a prospective miner out of US$15 800 by falsely claiming he could facilitate the registration of a gold mining claim, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has said.

In a statement, ZACC confirmed the arrest of Dias Chawarira, who is accused of misleading a complainant into believing he had the authority to expedite the pegging, surveying and registration of a gold mining claim in Karoi.

According to the Commission, Chawarira allegedly told Ignatious Shonhiwa that he could facilitate the entire registration process, prompting the complainant to pay a substantial facilitation fee.

"It is alleged that Chawarira misrepresented to Ignatious Shonhiwa that he was going to facilitate the pegging, surveying, and registration of a gold mining claim in Karoi. Acting on the misrepresentation, Shonhiwa allegedly paid a facilitation fee of US$15 800," ZACC said.

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The anti-graft body said Chawarira allegedly issued a receipt acknowledging payment before requesting additional money claiming the funds were required to obtain approvals from government authorities involved in the registration process.

However, investigations found that no such payments were required.

"The accused allegedly issued a receipt acknowledging payment and later demanded additional funds, claiming they were needed to secure approvals from relevant authorities. Investigations established that no such payments were required for the registration process and that the government officials purported to be involved were not aware of the alleged arrangements," ZACC said.

Chawarira appeared before the Chinhoyi Magistrates' Court where he was granted US$100 bail and remanded out of custody to 13 August 2026.