Miss Rural Zimbabwe Founder Sipho Mazibuko Says She Was Swindled by Trusted Protégé

Sipho Mazibuko, the founder of the Miss Rural Zimbabwe beauty pageant, has alleged that she was defrauded of US$5,600 by a young man she had mentored and treated like a son. The accused, 25-year-old Courage Ngwenya, now faces criminal charges for theft and fraudulent conversion of trust property under Zimbabwe’s Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23].

Mazibuko took to Facebook to share her emotional account, which has since gone viral. In the post, she recounted how she met Ngwenya about two years ago when he approached her seeking mentorship as a youth farmer and aspiring entrepreneur.

“He said he needed guidance and shared a heartbreaking story about his mother disappearing due to domestic abuse,” Mazibuko wrote. “I believed him. I treated him like a son.”

The former pageant queen and entrepreneur explained that she was moved by Ngwenya’s apparent intelligence and ambition. He claimed to hold an accounting degree from Lupane State University and quickly won her trust. She not only took him under her wing but also featured him in the Miss Rural Zimbabwe magazine as a model, further integrating him into her personal and professional life.

The betrayal came to light when Mazibuko discovered her safe had been emptied over a weekend. The incident triggered a spike in her blood pressure, and she had to be rushed to Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo. Once discharged, she resolved to bring Ngwenya to justice.

In a calculated move, Mazibuko lured Ngwenya into the very safe room from which the money had allegedly been stolen. She locked him inside and called the police. “He was arrested while pacing like a trapped mouse,” she recounted.

Ngwenya has since been released on bail, but Mazibuko is still reeling from the emotional damage. She said she later discovered that Ngwenya had lied about his family, even going so far as to introduce her to parents he previously claimed were dead.

“That’s when I realised I was dealing with a professional con artist,” she said.

Mazibuko, who has experienced numerous personal and public challenges over the years, shared the incident as a cautionary tale. She warned others against allowing compassion to override caution, saying her trust had been exploited by someone who had seen her kindness as an opportunity.

“My daughter once told me, ‘Your heart is a refugee camp.’ She was right. Courage lived in that camp, plotted his heist, and then struck,” Mazibuko wrote.

As the legal proceedings unfold, the case has sparked widespread conversation about the risks of misplaced trust and the importance of due diligence, even in close personal relationships. Mazibuko remains determined to see justice served, while urging others—especially public figures and mentors—to remain vigilant against emotional manipulation.