Livingstone man jailed over Visa Card

A 37-year-old man of Livingstone has been convicted and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and fined K 2, 000 or six months imprisonment in default which will run consecutive if he fails to pay for the offences of uttering false documents and obtaining goods by false pretences.

Nelson Zulu a former employee at former Zambezi Sun Hotel in Livingstone was found guilty by Magistrate Andrew Kasongo in three counts out of the four he was facing.

In count one, Nelson Zulu was facing the offence of making a Visa Card of which he was acquitted while in count two, he was facing the offence of utilisation of a forget Visa Card.

And in count three, he was facing the offence of uttering false documents namely a Visa Card and obtaining goods by false pretences in count four contrary to the Laws of Zambia.

Statement of offence are that between April 27, 2014 and May 19, 2014, Nelson Zulu did utilise the Visa Card of a tourist who was booked at former Zambezi Sun Hotel in Livingstone by forging the details and used it to purchase drinks at B-Hive and East Point respectively. During trial, the convict Zulu denied all the four counts leading the state to proceed with trial and consequently his defence. This was after he was arrested following the complaint by the tourist that her Visa Card was being used by someone in Zambia without her consent.

When the matter came up for judgment before the Namwalabased Magistrate Andrew Kasongo in Livingstone on Wednesday, Zulu was found guilty of count one, two and three.

Magistrate Kasongo said, “There was evidence that the Visa Card was being utilized in Zambia and that evidence is available and it shows you were using the card to purchase goods.”

“You used the card at B-Hive where you purchased drinks worthy K 900 and you told the bar lady that test my card by swiping without requiring a pin code. You knew exactly what you were doing and you knew that the card was a false document because you were using it without the owners’ consent,” he said.

“Further in East Point, the Gold Label and other drinks you got was by false pretence…As for count one there is no evidence to show that he made the card and acquit him… For count two, three and four am sending you to jail straight away,” he said.

And in mitigation, Nelson Zulu pleaded with the court to exercise lenience on him as he was a first offender adding that he was married with two kids who had stopped going to school due the financial challenges he was facing after he lost employment.

But Magistrate Kasongo said that the offence that Zulu committed carries a life imprisonment and that what he did was an embarrassment to the country because it was a case of international dimension.

“You embarrassed the country. This country and city thrives on tourism and the client has lost confidence in this country. Do you think she can ever want to come back to Zambia with what you did? This has been very prevalence in Livingstone,” he said.

“In the first count, you should pay K 2, 000 or six months imprisonment and in count two and three, I will send you to jail for one year each which will run concurrently but if you fail to pay the money, you will serve the sentence consecutive.”