Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku, Zimpapers Writer
WARD One Councilor Josiah Mutangi and an alleged partner in crime, Janet Zhou, today appeared before Bulawayo Provincial Magistrate Richard Ramaboea facing 14 counts of fraud.
The duo is accused of fleecing 14 desperate vendors of US$200 each after promising to secure vending bays for them in the city.
Mutangi and Zhou, represented by Constance Mathaba of Makiye and Partners, pleaded not guilty.
Through their lawyer, they claimed the vendors paid money to an association, not them, and that the complainants were actually offered vending bays but turned them down because they didn’t like the location.
The vendors later demanded refunds, and when the money wasn’t returned, they reported the matter to the police, leading to the pair’s arrest.
Mutangi recently served 30 days in jail for defying court orders to vacate a farmhouse in Umguza.
More to follow…
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