Ex-SDC chair jailed for theft of school monies

By Lisa Mangena

A former chairperson of a school development committee in Bulawayo has been sentenced to five years in prison for stealing about $3 000 from the school. Hlanganani Masuku pleaded guilty to defrauding Induna Primary School before Western Commonage Magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube.

The prosecutor Mr Nathan Marime told the court Masuku was going through some financial problems and decided to use the school’s money.

“I forged the headmistress’ signature and took the papers to the bank where l withdrew some money,” he said.

Masuku withdrew $3 144 from Stanbic Bank.

“I used the money for my own personal use,” added Masuku.

The matter was discovered during a reconciliation exercise of the school’s financial books.

“Masuku had long disappeared by that time and his whereabouts were not known,” said Mr Marime.

“New members of the SDC tried to locate Masuku to no avail, before reporting the matter to the police,” added Mr Marime.

He had given a false address to the school making it hard for them to locate him.

When asked whose address he had produced he said it was his brother’s house and he once stayed there.

“The address was not fake. My brother and l had once stayed at the place,” he said.

Police investigations led to Masuku’s arrest. The Chronicle