The South African national who allegedly sent an email as John Doe, raising an alarm of a bomb scare at Victoria Falls Airport has been fined.
On 1 March 2024, reports emerged of a “credible bomb and firearms threat” targeting the Victoria Falls International Airport. The then-anonymous character “John Doe” sent an email to Fastjet, saying he was part of the plot
President Emmerson Mnangagwa was on his way to officiate the Southern Africa International Renewable Energy Conference and Expo in Victoria Falls when authorities got the alert. His plane had to turn back to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport mid-flight. VP Constantino Chiwenga attended the event in his stead.
Yesterday, source reported that the face behind the email had been arrested. The culprit was a 25-year-old South African. Presidential spokesperson George Charamba confirmed on X:
“Our security services have traced the so-called John Doe to one Cuan Reed Govender. In the interests of ongoing operations, we leave it at that for now. We thank Zimbabweans for remaining calm while operations are underway. We hope to reach closure very soon.”
The man who claimed there was a bomb threat at the Victoria Falls International Airport appeared in court yesterday. Authorities arrested him at RGM International Airport after X-ray scanners spotted five bullets in his luggage.
The National Prosecuting Authority has revealed that the court slapped Govender with a fine:
“Cuan Reed Govender aged 25 from Durban, South Africa, was sentenced today at the Harare Magistrates Court for unlawful possession of ammunition. He was arrested at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on Friday the 1st of March 2024 when live rounds of ammunition were detected in his luggage by the baggage scanner.
“The police searched his bag and found 5 live rounds of ammunition. The accused had intended to board an Airlink flight to South Africa. The court ordered the accused person to pay a fine of USD300.”
Source iHarare
