Byo trickster nabbed

Emily Mbewe Court Reporter
A MAN from Pumula South suburb in Bulawayo has been arrested for swindling a woman of R2, 500 and $3.
Mgcini Moyo, 29, pleaded guilty to theft when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Sibongile Msipa-Marondedze yesterday. He was remanded in custody to tomorrow for sentencing.

Prosecuting, Nkathazo Dlodlo said on April 26 at around 1PM along Herbert Chitepo Street, Moyo approached Blessings Sibanda.

The court heard that Moyo, who was with his friend Nkosilathi Ncube, told Sibanda he was employed at World Vision.

“Moyo asked Sibanda to safeguard his goods which he was offloading from a vehicle,” said Dlodlo.

Sibanda was promised $15 for looking after the goods. Dlodlo said Moyo pretended to have also been hired to offload the goods.

“A third man, Vusa Nyathi, later appeared and pretended to be the manager and instructed Sibanda to put all the money she had inside a brown envelope and she complied,” said Dlodlo.

He said Nyathi told her he needed to make sure she did not steal money from the boxes that were being offloaded.

Nyathi allegedly returned the envelope after the job was done and Sibanda did not notice it had been swapped. “When Sibanda later opened the envelope, she noticed that it contained bearer cheques amounting to Z$2,400,000,” Dlodlo said.

Sibanda went back to where she left the men but could not locate them.

The court heard that two men – Leo Ndlovu and Celiwe Mpofu – were observing from a distance as Sibanda was being conned and followed the trio.

Dlodlo said the two men managed to apprehend Moyo while Nyathi and Ncube escaped.

Moyo was taken to Bulawayo central police station where a Constable Gumbo searched him and found Sibanda’s money in his pockets.