The Zimbabwean government has issued an urgent warning to the public regarding a surge in criminal impersonation cases involving individuals falsely claiming to represent Vice President General (Retd) C. G. D. N Chiwenga and his wife, Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi Chiwenga.

In an official statement released on Tuesday, the Department of Presidential Communications revealed that imposters are using international telephone numbers, primarily from South Africa and Nigeria, to contact both citizens and foreigners with malicious intent.

The department urged the public to exercise extreme vigilance when receiving unsolicited communications.

According to the statement signed by Deputy Chief Secretary for Presidential Communications George Charamba, the fraudsters are attempting to solicit money, services, and personal information from unsuspecting victims .

“These imposters are using, among other numbers, South African and Nigerian telephone numbers to contact citizens and foreigners, often with malicious intent and to solicit and extort money, services or personal information,” Charamba said in the statement .

Authorities have identified three specific telephone numbers currently being used in the impersonation scheme.

These include two Nigerian numbers: +234 8083483315 and +234 7038120794, as well as a South African number: +277 25956982.

The Department emphasized that all legitimate communication involving the Vice President, his Office, or his household strictly follows established official protocols.

“Any and all official communication involving the Vice President, his Office or his household follows proper, official channels, and is handled by persons employed for that purpose,” the statement read.

The government stressed that members of the public should verify any communication purporting to originate from the Vice President’s Office or his wife before taking any action.

In a bid to curb misinformation on digital platforms, the Department explicitly clarified that neither Vice President Chiwenga nor his wife maintains any presence on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Both the Honourable Vice President and his wife do not have Twitter (X) accounts,” Charamba stated .

The statement further characterized any accounts claiming association with them as fraudulent.

“Any such accounts claiming association with them, or purporting to project their views on any matter, are false and should be disregarded and dismissed with unreserved contempt,” the Deputy Chief Secretary added.

The government has activated relevant arms of the state to address the matter, with authorities now engaging telecommunication regulators in both Nigeria and South Africa to trace and apprehend those responsible for the fraudulent activities.

“Relevant arms of Government are engaging telecommunication authorities in both Nigeria and South Africa to bring the crooks to book,” Charamba confirmed in the statement.

The Department has urged anyone who encounters suspected impersonators or receives suspicious communications to report the incidents immediately to the appropriate authorities.

The public can contact the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) at +263 242 703111, the Office of the President and Cabinet at +263 242 707091 , or the Vice President’s Office directly at +263 242 707121 .

The warning represents the government’s continued efforts to protect citizens from increasingly sophisticated scams targeting high-profile public figures and to maintain the integrity of official communications from the Office of the Vice President.