Botched $5,000 car deal turns nasty

A Bulawayo man who took his girlfriend of eight months to court over a botched $5,000 car deal has been accused of reporting the matter to police to spite her following the breakup of their relationship.

Effiah Ncube, 42, of Pumula South and B027 the Ridge, Hillbrow, South Africa, appeared before Tredgold magistrate Chris Mberewere facing allegations of defrauding her ex-boyfriend Bwanali Limamu Ntanje $5,000.

The defence, led by Modicai Donga of Lazarus and Sarif Legal Practitioners, had applied for her discharge at the close of the State case and Ncube was acquitted.

Donga said after their relationship ended, Ntanje told Ncube that he would fix her.

"The complainant and the accused had a relationship of eight months and he told the accused in front of her relatives that he was going to fix her for wasting his time after he suspected that she had a boyfriend in South Africa," said Donga.

In passing sentence, Mberewere said Ncube and Ntanje's evidence could not be trusted and dismissed the case.

The magistrate also lashed out at the prosecution for allowing the matter to come before the criminal court when it could have been taken to civil court.

"The evidence from the complainant cannot be trusted as he denied a straight forward fact that he was in a relationship with the accused. He drove the accused parents to Harare for a funeral and even took the accused to Tsholotsho for a visit. So at the close of the State case, the accused is acquitted," he said.

It was the State case that sometime in October 2012, Ncube and Ntanje entered into an agreement whereby the accused was to sell her motor vehicle — a Mazda pick-up truck to the complainant for $5,500.

Ntanje paid $5,000 and Ncube was supposed to deliver the motor vehicle in November of the same year.  Instead of delivering the vehicle, Ncube took it to South Africa without Ntanje's knowledge.

The matter was reported to police leading to Ncube's arrest.