5 people arrested for illegally selling Starlink kits in Zimbabwe

Five men from Harare were arrested following a police operation on 2 November 2024 for allegedly possessing Starlink kits without a valid licence. The suspects, Polite Jamba, 28, Ngoni Mandiwo, 29, Denver Ndebele, 26, Tinotenda Vamba, 26, and Lennin Mhiripiri, 26, are scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

Acting on a tip, detectives from the Highlands Criminal Investigation Department (CID) raided the suspects in two locations. Mandiwo and Ndebele were reportedly selling Starlink Gen 2 kits at Easy Walk Mall in central Harare. Police seized two kits valued at approximately $900 and the duo were arrested and taken to CID Highlands for further investigation.

In a separate operation on the same day, Jamba, Vamba and Mhiripiri were approached by detectives posing as customers and they were also found to be in possession of an unlicensed Starlink Mini kit worth US$450. The trio were later arrested and taken to CID Highlands.

Zimbabwean authorities have recently intensified enforcement on Starlink equipment, which requires users to obtain appropriate licensing under local law. Since Starlink activated its service in Zimbabwe on September 7, 2024, the government has emphasized the need for regulatory compliance. Users of previously imported Starlink kits have been asked to arrange their equipment through authorized resellers such as Aura Group and TelOne, which are officially licensed to resell Starlink services in the country.

Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Dr. Tatenda Mavetera recently appointed Aura Group as the Starlink reseller in Zimbabwe, marking a structured step towards Starlink deployment in the country. The move reflects authorities’ efforts to regulate internet services in low Earth orbit, which have become increasingly popular due to the global coverage provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.