Madzibaba converts congregant’s $4k to own use

A CHURCH leader with Johane Masowe Chishanu Apostolic Sect who duped his congregant of $3 900 and made a false police report before trading the cash on the black market has been convicted of theft.

Madzibaba Ephraim Mudhara had denied the charges when he appeared before Mutare provincial magistrate, Mr Tendai Mahwe.

He was convicted after a full trial and was remanded in custody to a later date for sentencing.

Mudhara was facing one count of theft and another of deliberately supplying false information to the police.

Mr Fletcher Karombe prosecuted.

The State heard that on May 6, the complainant Tambudzai Sithole was approached by criminals who demanded cash from her. She was alone at home.

The robbers however fled after neighbours came to her rescue. She then called her church leader, Mudhara and asked him to drive her to Chikanga Police Station since he owned a motor vehicle.

“The suspect came to Sithole’s residence with his wife, Madzimai Perpetual Murinda while driving a Honda CRV. He then suggested that he take the money to his home for safekeeping and advised the complainant to make the police report the following morning. The complainant then handed $3 900 to the accused person,” said Mr Karombe.

On their way back home, the accused person and and his wife hatched a plan to steal the money.

They subsequently diverted their route and proceeded to Chikanga Police Station without the complainant where he filed a report that he had been robbed of the complainant’s cash that same night.

He indicated that he had been robbed by unknown assailants and the matter was receipted at ZRP Chikanga under RRB 3509547.

The matter was then referred to CID Mutare for further management.

Investigations were made and it was revealed that Mudhara had actually stolen the money. He was then arrested.

On May 12, Mudhara then led detectives to his HobHouse residence to recover the hidden money. He showed the cops where he had hidden the money but it was missing from the spot.

He further led detectives to another Chikanga residence where only $90 bond notes were recovered from Tatenda Chieza, his first wife.

Further investigations revealed that Mudhara had carried transactions with illegal foreign currency dealers involving $1 700 and that some of the money had been transacted into his Eco-Cash account as well as Marinda’s account.

The Eco-cash accounts’ history were produced in court as evidence.