Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve Victoria Falls Reporter
WHAT looked like a miracle windfall for a Victoria Falls painter quickly turned into a nightmare after a bank error landed behind bars.
Christopher NDLOVU (58) from Chidobe Village, was this week sentenced to 10 months in prison after confessing that he helped himself to US$4 838 accidentally deposited into his CABS account.
According to the court, the drama started on 15 October when US$6 435 mysteriously appeared in Ndlovu’s account. Instead of rushing to the bank to report the slip up, Ndlovu allegedly treated the account like a broken tap, draining it bit by bit over two weeks.
Prosecutor Douglas Ntini told the court that the painter made systematic withdrawals between 16 and 29 October.
“He unlawfully took US$4 838 that had been erroneously deposited into his account by CABS Bank,” said Ntini.
The bank eventually noticed the blunder. On 31 October, a staffer, Luckmore Dube, phoned Ndlovu demanding reimbursement. But the painter apparently ignored the call and carried on with life as usual until police swooped in.
In court, Ndlovu pleaded for mercy, insisting he had only used the unexpected cash to solve “pressing domestic issues.” Being a first-time offender didn’t help much.
Magistrate Tafara Machaya said the courts had a duty to send a strong message to anyone tempted to treat bank errors as a personal jackpot.
Ndlovu was slapped with a 10-month custodial sentence, but he will only serve three months if he behaves himself for the next five years. The remaining seven months vanish only if he pays back every cent to CABS.
What looked like an unexpected blessing ended as an expensive lesson.
