Supervisor defrauds hotel US$340k

AN Odzi man was trapped to death in a 20-metre deep mining shaft he was working in early this week.

Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed the tragic incident.

“The victim, Tendai Katuwa (24), of Gai Village was extracting gold from a shaft at Katuwa Mine, owned by Mr John Katuwa when the incident happened. The mineshaft was 20m deep.

“He was in the company of fellow mine employees, Mr Enock Mutsikwi (23) and Mr Tedias Mukanza (29) when they entered the shaft in search of gold ore.

“As they worked, Tendai pushed a rock into place using a mining tool, and suddenly a large rock fell from the shaft roof and landed on him, trapping him beneath it. Mr Mutsikwi and Mr Mukanza tried to rescue him, but he was badly injured. He died on the spot,” he said.

The mine owner made a report at Odzi Police Station, and police attended the scene.

The deceased’s body was conveyed to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for a post-mortem.

Assistant Inspector Chinyoka urged artisanal miners to be mindful that deep mineshafts can be dangerous, and should consider associated risks before entering unstable shafts.

He said unstable shafts can cause serious injuries or deaths.

A HOLIDAY Inn accounts supervisor and an unnamed employee allegedly defrauded the city hotel a whopping US$340 000.

Knowledge Munetsi Makoni (41) was arrested recently, and appeared before Mutare magistrate, Ms Prisca Manhibi last week on charges of fraud as defined in Section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.

He was not asked to plead and was released on US$500 bail on Monday.

Makoni was ordered to surrender his passport to the police, report once every week at Mutare Central Police Station and not to interfere with State witnesses.

He was also ordered to continue residing at his given address until the finalisation of the matter.

His accomplice, whose name was yet to be established, is still at large, and has been declared a fugitive from justice.

The court heard that sometime between June 2023 and March 2024, Makoni and his accomplice misrepresented themselves to Holiday Inn Mutare by replacing the original deposits slips with new ones with a lesser value from the original and under banked the cash.

They converted cash amounting to US$340 537 to their own personal use.

Mr Talent Nyamuzuwe prosecuted.