Madzibaba up for fraud

A POPULAR apostolic sect leader is out on $15 000 bail after appearing before a Harare court facing charges of fraud and theft of trust property.

Herbert Senda — popularly known as Madzibaba Enock — of the Johane Masowe Echishanu-Nyenyedzi Nomwe sect allegedly sold church property and pocketed the proceeds. He appeared before magistrate Tendai Muchini on Friday. Senda was ordered to report twice per week to the police as part of his bail conditions.

It is the State’s case that sometime in August 2017, Senda misrepresented to home-seeker Munyaradzi Chaguta that he was the owner of a residential stand in Budiriro, which belonged to his church’s housing co-operative. He proceeded to sell the stand for US$10 000.

Chaguta agreed to pay a US$2 400 deposit and monthly instalments of US$500 until the debt was settled. Prosecutor Desire Chidanhire told the court that Senda sold the residential stand fully aware that one Tinashe Sithole had already paid a development fee of US$3 500 to the co-operative for the stand.

As a result, the housing co-operative was prejudiced of US$4 751. On the second charge, Senda allegedly sold a vehicle belonging to the housing co-operative before converting the proceeds to personal use.

The State alleges that in August 2017 Senda was approached by Munodawafa Zambezi, who wanted to exchange his commuter omnibus for a residential stand.

After deliberations with the housing co-operative executive, an agreement was reached, which saw Zambezi being given two residential stands in exchange for his vehicle. The vehicle was entrusted to Senda as the sect’s leader. He, however, sold the vehicle and converted the proceeds to his own use, prejudicing the housing cooperative of US$10 000. He will appear in court on March 1.