Man fakes father’s death

A MASVINGO man and his two accomplices have been sentenced to 420 hours of unpaid work each by a magistrates court for trying to swindle Econet of $2 000 via the its EcoSure Funeral Cover, through a fake death claim.

Thomson Chikwaku (24) of Zimre Park and his two accomplices, Peter Mhasvi (35) and John Mamvura (59), were convicted of trying to defraud Econet’s Ecosure Funeral Cover by misrepresenting that the former’s father had passed on.

The trio drafted a fake letter from a village head confirming that Chikwaku’s father, who is alive, had passed on, in an attempt to receive money from Ecosure Funeral Cover.

Masvingo magistrate Mr Peter Madhibha had initially sentenced the trio to 12 months behind bars each.

Mr Madhibha suspended three months on condition of good behaviour while the remaining nine months were suspended on condition they perform 420 hours of community service at designated local government institutions.

Chikwaku used his Econet line to register for a $2 000 EcoSure funeral cover.

He added his father, Fungwadzaishe Chikwaku, as one of the beneficiaries in January this year.

According to prosecutor Mr Edmond Mapope on August 2 this year, Chikwaku and his accomplices signed an EcoSure death claim for his father purporting that he had passed on.