Duo Hacks into Econet, Steals US$12k Airtime
By Delicious Mathuthu — Two men have each been sentenced to 36 months in prison for illegally accessing Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s computer system and selling airtime bundle access codes. The court suspended portions of their sentences subject to good behaviour and community service.
Delicious Mathuthu 
Kwekwe, Zimbabwe — Two men have been convicted of illegally accessing Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s computer system and selling airtime bundle access codes worth over US$12 000.
Dumisani Mutwazi (33) and Tanaka Tayero (27) were sentenced to 36 months in prison each by the Kwekwe Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of hacking and unlawfully using data or devices to facilitate unauthorised access to the system.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said the offences occurred between June 25 and July 10, 2025, when the pair accessed Econet’s system and sold or supplied access codes used to obtain airtime bundles.
The scheme came to light on July 11, 2025, when an Econet corporate fraud specialist reviewing airtime purchases through Yomix and EcoCash identified suspicious transaction patterns linked to the two men.
Investigations established that airtime bundles had been purchased repeatedly and distributed to several individuals in exchange for cash.
Econet suffered a loss of US$12,436.52, none of which has been recovered.
In sentencing the duo, the court suspended 10 months of each for five years on condition of good behaviour.
A further 18 months was suspended on condition that each man completes 630 hours of community service.
The NPAZ warned that unauthorised access to digital systems for financial gain is a prosecutable offence, saying cybercrime undermines business confidence and causes financial losses.
