News / National
Man swindles lover of US$5 200 meant to import a truck
21 Dec 2013 at 20:45hrs | Views
A 30-year-old Harare man last Friday appeared before magistrate Ms Audrey Tarugarira after he was accused by his lover, Lillian Mandikuwaza (28), of converting US$5 200 meant to import a truck to personal use.
Tendai Matize pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing trust property and was remanded in custody to December 31 for continuation of trial.
Prosecutor George Manokore told the court that some time in May this year the couple were cohabiting in Marlborough suburb.
Matize is said to have misrepresented to Mandikuwaza that he was able to import vehicles from Japan upon which the complainant gave him US$4 600 to buy a truck that had captured her imagination as they browsed through a car-selling website.
After a month it is alleged that Matize informed his lover that he had bought the truck from Japan and it would be arriving in Zimbabwe in August via Zambia. August came and the truck was nowhere to be seen, it is alleged.
In September, Mandikuwaza is said to have asked her boyfriend about the truck as she was expecting the vehicle to have arrived in Zimbabwe, but Matize is said to have demanded an additional US$1 000 for "clearance purposes".
Mandikuwaza gave Matize US$600 before he briefly left home claiming to be going to Zambia to finalise the importation of the vehicle.
Upon his return the accused is said to have given Mandikuwaza some keys which he claimed to be of the truck that he said was stored at Amalgamated Motor Corporation in Harare.
Matize then left the complainant's place of residence and became evasive. Armed with her keys, Mandikuwaza went to AMC with the intention of getting "her truck."
And it was then that it dawned on her that she had been duped. The complainant then made a police report, leading to Matize's arrest.
Tendai Matize pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing trust property and was remanded in custody to December 31 for continuation of trial.
Prosecutor George Manokore told the court that some time in May this year the couple were cohabiting in Marlborough suburb.
Matize is said to have misrepresented to Mandikuwaza that he was able to import vehicles from Japan upon which the complainant gave him US$4 600 to buy a truck that had captured her imagination as they browsed through a car-selling website.
After a month it is alleged that Matize informed his lover that he had bought the truck from Japan and it would be arriving in Zimbabwe in August via Zambia. August came and the truck was nowhere to be seen, it is alleged.
Mandikuwaza gave Matize US$600 before he briefly left home claiming to be going to Zambia to finalise the importation of the vehicle.
Upon his return the accused is said to have given Mandikuwaza some keys which he claimed to be of the truck that he said was stored at Amalgamated Motor Corporation in Harare.
Matize then left the complainant's place of residence and became evasive. Armed with her keys, Mandikuwaza went to AMC with the intention of getting "her truck."
And it was then that it dawned on her that she had been duped. The complainant then made a police report, leading to Matize's arrest.
Source - Sunday Mail
