Teacher defraudes Old Mutual Funeral Company

A BULILIMA teacher has been jailed for defrauding Old Mutual Funeral Company of $5,000 after lying that his mother had died in July, 14 years after her death.

William Banana Ncube, 25, a teacher at Malalume Secondary School, applied for an Old Mutual funeral policy and went on to make a funeral benefit claim of $5,000 for his mother's burial.

He lied that his mother Juliet Moyo died on July 24 this year while she in fact died on June 16, 2001.

The teacher obtained fraudulent documents to support his false claim.

The funeral company's officials discovered that Ncube had made a false claim following investigations.

Ncube was convicted of fraud by Plumtree magistrate Livard Philemon.

He was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment and five months were suspended for five years on condition that he does not within that period commit a similar offence.

Ncube told the court that he had made the false claim in a bid to raise some money.

"I do admit that I approached the funeral company and told them that my mother died this year yet she died in 2001. I also acquired false documents that confirmed that my mother passed away this year," Ncube said.

"I just wanted to raise some cash. I wanted to collect the $5,000 and divert it to my personal use to clear debts that I have."

Prosecuting, Elisha Mazorodze said on April 17, Ncube approached Old Mutual Funeral Company and applied for a funeral policy in which he included his mother for a $5,000 life cover.

He said Ncube proceeded to Madlambuzi Police Station on August 10 and made a statement under oath that his mother had passed away on July 24 at Malopa Village.