Employee steals $384k rice from minister

A 22-year-old man employed as an administrator in the office of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo has been arraigned before a Kwekwe magistrate for allegedly stealing goods worth $384 875 from the minister.

Warren Nostalgia Madicha (22), who is employed as an administrator at the minister’s Constituency Centre in Redcliff, appeared before Kwekwe magistrate Mr Tayengwa Sangster to answerto theft charges.

He pleaded not guilty and was remanded to tomorrow on free bail.

Mr Devious Mujaya of Mawadze and Mujaya Legal Practitioners is representing Madicha.

Safekeeping

Prosecuting, Mr Freddy Ndoro told the court that on January 11, 2019 around 9am, Minister Moyo brought 400 x 50kg of rice and took the consignment to the Constituency Centre for safekeeping.

On a date unknown to the prosecutor but between January 11 and April 23, the accused took 279 x 50kg of rice and sold them to different people.

The minister later discovered that the goods were missing on April 23 and reported the matter to Redcliff Police resulting in Madicha’s arrest.

Investigations carried out by police led to the recovery of some of the bags from the buyers. The Herald