Man gambles away employer's money

A 26-year-old Harare man employed by a local car sales company has appeared in court facing allegations of stealing thousands of dollars entrusted to him by his employer and gambling away a substantial portion of the money at a sports betting outlet.

Kelvin Menyani appeared before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo charged with theft of trust property. He was not asked to plead.

According to the prosecution, Menyani was instructed by his employer, Efiat Kodoya, to collect payment from a customer who had purchased a trailer.

The court heard that Kodoya, who was outside the country at the time, had sold a trailer for US$7,100 and directed Menyani to receive the money on his behalf.

Menyani was allegedly instructed to deliver US$7,000 to Kodoya's wife in Newlands and retain US$100 as a reward for facilitating the transaction.

However, prosecutors allege that after collecting the money from the buyer, Menyani failed to hand over the funds as instructed.

The matter came to light when Kodoya contacted his wife and discovered that she had not received the money.

Efforts to contact Menyani allegedly proved unsuccessful, with the accused reportedly becoming evasive when questioned about the missing funds.

According to the State, Kodoya later contacted Menyani's father and informed him about the missing money.

Family members subsequently tracked Menyani to a betting outlet in Mabvuku, where he was allegedly found gambling at MWOS.

Prosecutors allege that by the time he was located, only US$1,500 of the money remained and was recovered.

The remaining US$5,500 is alleged to have been lost through betting activities.

The matter was reported to the police, leading to Menyani's arrest and subsequent court appearance.

The State maintains that only US$1,500 was recovered, leaving a substantial portion of the entrusted funds unaccounted for.

The case is expected to return to court as investigations continue and prosecutors prepare to present further evidence.