Businessman’s trial postponed

Beitbridge Bureau
THE trial of a Harare businessman accused of defrauding Beitbridge Town Council of more than US$34 000 in a bitumen deal was on Thursday further postponed to September 12 for continuation. Admire Sihlahla, who is the managing director of a company called Solna Enterprise, won a tender to supply the local authority with bitumen to resurface roads. He was paid US$34 425 and disappeared without delivering the consignment.

Sihlahla (44), denied the charge when his trial opened before Ms Gwineth Drawo.
He is out on US$200 bail coupled with stringent conditions.

Prosecutor Mr Reason Mutimba is alleging that sometime in November 2010 Beitbridge Town Council advertised a tender for the supply of Bitumen 80/100 to surface the road from Mashakada to Mashavire.

Sihlahla responded to the tender purporting that his company could supply the local authority with 149 drums of bitumen within a few days after a payment of $34 425 into his company’s bank account.

On December 10, 2010 the council deposited the money into Solna Enterprises’ Standard Chartered Bank account.
Soon after getting the money Sihlahla reportedly became elusive until he resurfaced in October last year when he approached the local authority and swore under oath that he would supply the bitumen in batches of 50 drums within the same month.
He failed to honour his promise until the council decided to take legal action resulting in his arrest.