harare24dmin For more than a decade, the name Francesco Marconati has repeatedly surfaced in Zimbabwe’s criminal courts and investigative reporting, often linked to serious allegations involving firearms, intimidation and contested corporate control. Yet, despite the gravity and persistence of these claims — ranging from alleged shootings and threats to kill, to possession of unlicensed firearms — no gun-related matter associated with him has culminated in a definitive, publicly recorded conviction.
In a country where firearms offences typically attract swift arrest, prolonged remand and custodial sentences for ordinary citizens, this pattern has raised troubling questions about the equal application of the law, institutional accountability, and whether some individuals face a different threshold of legal consequence.
This investigation reconstructs, from court records, published reports and sworn affidavits, the chronology of firearm-related controversies linked to Marconati — tracing how each matter arose, stalled, collapsed or remains unresolved.
Mana Pools: the beginning of unresolved questions
The origins of the controversy date back to the early hours of March 2016 at Mana Pools National Park. Italian nationals Claudio Chiarelli and his son, Massimiliano, were shot dead by rangers from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) following a confrontation at a roadblock. The State later ruled that the rangers had acted lawfully.
What has never been fully interrogated in public discourse, however, is a detail that later emerged through media reports and sworn statements: Francesco Marconati was present on the day of the shooting, travelling in the same convoy with his son when rangers opened fire from a considerable distance.
According to affidavits and subsequent reporting, Marconati’s Toyota Land Cruiser was struck by gunfire and sustained visible bullet damage. Sources say the vehicle remains in his possession, still bearing marks from the incident.
Although Marconati was never charged in relation to the Mana Pools shooting, he would later claim that he was “standing in the same line” as Claudio and his son when the rangers fired. That assertion later became central to disputes over corporate authority, inheritance of business interests and control of assets previously linked to the Chiarelli family.
The incident attracted international attention. Contemporary reports indicated that the Italian Embassy in Zimbabwe made representations to local authorities following the killing of its nationals. Diplomatic inquiries were reportedly opened to establish how two Italians were killed while others in the same convoy — including Marconati and his son — survived what were described as long-distance shots by armed rangers.
No public findings from those inquiries were ever released. Zimbabwean authorities formally closed the matter, leaving critical questions unanswered.
Bubi mine allegations
It was not until 2021 that Marconati’s name surfaced in direct allegations involving the alleged use of a firearm.
Multiple media reports claimed that during a dispute linked to DGL5 Mine in Bubi, Matabeleland North, Marconati fired four shots at a rival driver in front of witnesses. The same reports further alleged that he pointed a firearm at Chinese investors, allegedly in an attempt to block investment in a gold operation where he held a minority stake.
Local accounts described an atmosphere of fear and intimidation around the mine, with workers and residents alleging that firearms were used not merely for security, but as instruments of control. No publicly available court record shows a final conviction arising from these allegations.
In 2024, Bulawayo24 published testimonies from former DGL5 employees who described Marconati as cultivating a reputation as the “Italian Mafia,” allegedly boasting of firearm ownership and using weapons to threaten employees and business partners.
Further reporting alleged that 19 firearms were registered under hunting licences linked to Mana Pools Safari Lodge, a photographic tourism operation within the Mana Pools World Heritage Site. Sources claimed the firearms were later kept at DGL5 Mine, where they were allegedly used to intimidate staff, majority shareholders and Chinese investors.
Former employees alleged that over several years, Marconati had effectively established a private armed security structure operating beyond transparent oversight. Once again, no final firearm-related conviction has entered the public record.
The 2025 arrest
The most recent episode unfolded in December 2025, when The Standard reported that Marconati had been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for allegedly possessing an unlicensed firearm.
The arrest followed the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Thabo Ngwenya near a shop opposite DGL5 Mine in Bubi. A mine security guard allegedly shot Ngwenya three times.
Villagers told The Standard that Marconati received unusual treatment, alleging that he was allowed to sleep at home and visit his mine despite being due for remand incarceration. They further claimed that police were reluctant to record cases involving him.
Marconati reportedly told investigators that the firearms belonged to shareholders — a claim publicly disputed by other shareholders, who said they were unaware of any such arrangement. The matter remains before the magistrates’ court.
Procedural reversals and judicial scrutiny
Parallel to the firearm allegations, Marconati’s encounters with the justice system have been marked by procedural reversals and judicial intervention.
In June 2024, 263Chat reported his arrest over an alleged failure to complete a 105-hour community service order. The presiding magistrate later ruled that at least four days recorded as default were factually incorrect, as court records showed Marconati was attending proceedings at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on those dates.
In July 2024, the Judicial Service Commission confirmed that it had opened an inquiry into a possible abuse of procedure after Marconati spent four days at Harare Remand Prison on what was later challenged as an improperly issued warrant.
Later that year, the High Court of Zimbabwe, under case HH 589-24 (HCHCR 4479/24), quashed key fraud and forgery convictions against him, ruling that the magistrates’ court had erred and that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the convictions.
A pattern without closure
From Mana Pools to Bubi, gun-related allegations linked to Marconati display a striking pattern: arrest without conclusion, accusation without final adjudication, and controversy without closure.
For most Zimbabweans, firearms offences mean immediate remand, visible prosecution and clear sentencing. The absence of finalised outcomes in multiple gun-related matters involving the same individual invites public scrutiny — not as a presumption of guilt, but as a question of systemic consistency.
Journalism does not convict; courts do. But journalism has a duty to document patterns, interrogate disparities and ask why the law — often decisive for the many — appears endlessly negotiable for the few.
Marconati retains the presumption of innocence and the right of reply. He also shares, with every citizen, the obligation to answer allegations in open court. Until clear and transparent outcomes emerge, the question persists — not only about one man, but about how justice is applied, delayed or denied in Zimbabwe.
