5 months jail for BCC accounts clerk

By Cynthia Dube

A Bulawayo City Council accounts clerk has been sentenced to five months in jail for failing to restitute $850 for property he stole from a house last year.

The court had initially ordered Sijabuliso Buhlungu to pay $1 000 before March 31.

He was part of a four-man gang that broke into a house and stole property worth $4 000, including a fire arm.

Each member of the gang was ordered to restitute $1 000 to the complainant.

“I think the best thing for you is to go to jail for five months because you failed to restitute the money. It’s now 11 months and you have been coming to court seeking extension of payment dates,” said magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya.

Buhlungu’s mother interjected and told the magistrate that as a family they have agreed to give the complainant property that is worth $850.

“The applicant has agreed to take Buhlungu’s property. I don’t have the money to pay the complainant and my son is already in custody. May the court allow us to restitute using Buhlungu’s property,” she said.

Last week, Buhlungu appeared in court facing charges of defrauding five home seekers of more than $30 000 through selling them non-existent stands and he was remanded in custody to 15 December.

Prosecuting, Mr Nkathazo Dlodlo told the court that Buhlungu of Ntabazinduna Flats in Bulawayo would use fake title deeds to sell stands and issue fake receipts.

“Accused duped Benjamin Mugadza of $4 000 after giving him an application form “stamped and signed by the Director of Housing and Community Services” purporting the form was for a stand in Mahatshula.

Mugadza went to enquire at City Council but was told no such stand existed.

Accused allegedly placed an advert in a local newspaper for a stand in Killarney that lured Prosper Ndlovu of Plumtree.

Accused promised complainant the stand would be transferred to his name after a deposit.

“Ndlovu paid $6 500 and that was the last time he saw accused. He went to enquire at city council and was told the stand belonged to Sithandazile Ngwenya,” said Mr Dlodlo.

He said Nomusa Sithole lost $3 500 after she paid for a stand on behalf of her brother.

Accused gave her a fake receipt. In July this year, accused placed another advert of stands on offer in Hillside and Montrose on the internet.

One Pamela Ndlovu in the United Kingdom fell for the trap and lost $6 500 after she asked her mother to make a payment for the stand.

Ndlovu’s mother went to the city council offices and was told that the stand she had bought didn’t exist, the court heard.

Another home seeker, Nelson Fuzane allegedly lost a car to Buhlungu after being promised a stand.

After receiving the car worth $5 000 which was said to be the price of the stand, Buhlungu became evasive. Fuzane bumped into accused in January this year as he drove the car in the city centre and he repossessed his car. Chronicle