BULAWAYO – Drug-related cases involving Kelsea Tafirenyika, the second wife of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s twin son Collins, and three of her relatives have ended in fines rather than jail time following negotiated guilty pleas in Bulawayo and Harare.
Kelsea, 22, her mother, sister and aunt have all been handed relatively light sentences after reaching plea agreements with prosecutors, bringing an end to cases that had threatened to drag the family into lengthy legal battles.
In a separate development, money laundering charges involving nearly US$9.3 million against Kelsea have been dropped after prosecutors determined that there was insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction.
The plea agreements followed negotiations between the prosecution and defence lawyers led by Advocate Silvester Hashiti.
Kelsea’s mother, Amina Jassinta Jessub Arab, 47, her sister Dyonne Tanaka Tafirenyika, 28, and her aunt Noreen Jessub, 51, had initially been scheduled to stand trial at the Bulawayo Magistrates Court on November 5 and 6.
However, court officials revealed on Thursday that the trio had secured an earlier hearing on November 2 before regional magistrate Mark Dzira, where they changed their pleas to guilty.
Amina Arab was fined US$200, with 20 days in prison as an alternative for non-payment. Noreen Jessub was fined US$250 or 25 days in jail, while Dyonne received a US$300 fine or 30 days behind bars if she fails to pay.
The three women were arrested on August 19 at a lodge in Bulawayo’s Ilanda suburb during a police operation in which officers recovered cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and a substantial amount of cash.
Police reportedly found two sachets of cocaine valued at ZiG9,000 concealed inside a shoe in Noreen’s room, while another two sachets of cocaine were recovered from Amina Arab’s room.
A search of Dyonne’s room led to the recovery of a sachet of crystal methamphetamine, another sachet of cocaine and US$53,055 in cash.
Meanwhile, Kelsea also appeared before the Harare Magistrates Court, where she pleaded guilty to two drug-related charges.
She admitted to unauthorised possession of prescription medicines after being found with pethidine and morphine sulphate at a house in Greystone Park on August 4, 2026, in violation of the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act.
Magistrate Ignatio Kudakwashe Mhene fined her US$300 for the offence.
On a second count, she admitted possessing five prepared rolls of cannabis weighing 0.004kg and was fined a further US$100.
The money laundering charge against her, however, was dropped after prosecutors concluded that the available evidence was insufficient to secure a conviction.
