Unrepentant’ Chinese miner accused in new gold-ore fraud case

A Chinese investor already convicted for the theft of thousands of tonnes of gold ore has been linked to a fresh scheme allegedly aimed at reclaiming the very ore dump a court ordered him to return.

Records obtained from the Ministry of Mines, police files and High Court filings identify Zheng Zhangxian, owner of Reajin Enterprises, as a principal behind a newly registered entity  the so-called Zhangveng Syndicate which investigators say was created to regain control of the disputed dump using forged paperwork and manipulation of legal processes.

Court documents show Zheng was found guilty in the Mutoko Magistrates’ Court and ordered to pay US$875,000 in restitution. Despite that conviction, the investigation indicates he continued to act through new corporate vehicles. Zhangveng was incorporated on 8 September 2025  the same day the Magistrates’ Court handed down the guilty finding against Reajin Mine  and lists Zheng alongside Zimbabwean national Vengai Kurarama as directors.

A Ministry of Mines report reviewed by Express Mail Zim states the syndicate’s formation appears to breach the Mines and Minerals Act and regulations administered by ZIDA, which restrict informal foreign-local partnerships outside approved corporate structures. Legal analysts say those actions potentially violate both mining and foreign investment laws.

Field checks by ministry technicians reportedly uncovered altered survey markers and discrepancies in the claim paperwork submitted by Zhangveng. GPS verification placed the contested ore dump roughly 1.6 kilometres beyond Zhangveng’s registered boundaries, the report says.

Following those findings, Mutoko police opened a criminal docket — CR 68/09/25 — charging the syndicate with offences including alteration of beacon positions (Section 376) and misrepresentation of claim coordinates and size (Section 383) under the Mines and Minerals Act. The ministry’s inquiry further alleges Zhangveng attempted to appropriate ore belonging to Emmanuel Ndemera, the original complainant in the Reajin case.

Despite the pending criminal probe, Zhangveng has launched an urgent High Court application (HC 4522/25) to bar Ndemera from accessing the ore dump. Investigators contend documents in that filing include forged declarations and incorrect claims  such as assertions that Ndemera lacked an Environmental Impact Assessment certificate  a contention reportedly refuted by the Environmental Management Agency.

Sources close to the matter describe the pattern as recurrent: Zheng is said to adopt new local partners and company names to continue mining activity and evade court orders. “He recycles the scheme  different fronts, same objective,” one complainant told investigators.

Some local miners and sources linked to the case say legal processes have been repeatedly delayed and accuse unnamed lawyers of shielding the investor, a claim that has yet to be independently verified.