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NHLANGANO – Mashobeni South has been arrested again for alleged theft by false pretence.

Abucopho

The Bucopho, Goodman Manana (56), was out on bail for a similar offence. Mashobeni South is under Gege Inkundla in the Shiselweni Region.

Manana pleaded guilty to both counts of theft by false pretence. He allegedly took E5 800 in July last year and another E2 200 around August from a certain woman. It is alleged that he was to make payment on behalf of the woman for a new electrical installation at Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) but never did.

Offence

In the case that he is out on bail for, Manana allegedly committed the offence of theft by false pretence of over E70 000 back in 2016. He is alleged to have met a certain man at a car wash where they had taken their cars to be washed.

The man wanted to build bedsitters on the land and had paid about E55 800 to one of the hardware stores around town for building material.

Manana is alleged to have requested a payment of E5 000 upfront, which was given to him in an office located in town.

The man is said to have visited the plot countless times, with the hope that construction would resume but nothing was happening on it. It was established that when he contacted Manana, the response he got from him was that he was still moulding bricks and that construction would commence soon. After sometime, it is said that Manana requested the man to pay the full amount for labour so he could build the house at once.

Progress

It is said that the man paid E15 000 in the same office in town but there was still no progress on site. Weeks later, Manana is alleged to have further told the man to pay E2 500 meant for the people moulding the bricks. It is said that the man went to MICA Hardware to check the E55 800 he had deposited, only to find that Manana allegedly took it. He was said to have involved the police, who called Manana to a meeting and he promised to repay the money. Manana is alleged to have been making empty promises until he was arrested.

As the case is still proceeding in court, Manana has been charged twice with contempt of court for not appearing in court when warned to do so. The first was on July 2, 2019 and the other was on September 10, 2020. He was arrested on the latter date and spent a few days in a Correctional facility.

In the event he is granted bail for the latest arrest, he is expected to return into court on June 9, 2023 for trial.