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Gibson Mhaka
A Bulawayo businessman who was swindled on two separate occasions by two businesswomen of US$700 000 and R290 522 is living in fear after unknown persons threatened to kill him and his family if he does not withdraw one of the court cases.
Prince Abraham was allegedly swindled by Delny Deanna Ashley Davies and Smolly Moyo on two unrelated incidents.
In the first case whose trial is set to commence on 28 January, before Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya, Abraham who is managing director of Nedlac Automation based in South Africa and Nedlac Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd based in Zimbabwe was allegedly defrauded by Delny Deanna Ashley Davies who owns Bean There Restaurant.
Davies (43) who is on $5 000 bail was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) for allegedly defrauding the businessman of US$700 000.
In the second case which is before Harare magistrate Ms Rumbidzai Mugwagwa, Abraham was duped of R290 522 by Water Connect chief executive officer Smolly Moyo after claiming she was President Mnangagwa’s aunt and could get her “nephew” to help recover the US$700 000 he had lost to Davies.
Moyo, who is on $5 000 bail, is expected back in court on February 13 for her routine remand.
Speaking exclusively about the threats, Abraham, who has business interests in South Africa and Zimbabwe said things got worse to a point that the people who are threatening him are revealing the whereabouts of his family and all the information about his movements.
Abraham has since reported the matter to Zacc.
“I have received death threats on my phone and that of my wife. I don’t know who is threatening me but the way the threats are constructed I suspect they have something to do with the two cases that are before the courts where I was swindled by two businesswomen of US$700 000 and R290 522 respectively.
“Since it is not my job to investigate who is threatening me, I reported the threats to Zacc. But I am not feeling safe. I now live in fear. My wife is worried sick about me and herself,” he said.
When contacted for comment Zacc spokesperson John Makamure could neither confirm nor deny the incident.
“I need to check if we have such a report. If they are such threats as Zacc we will investigate since it’s a serious offence to issue someone with death threats. We would like our witnesses to be protected,” he said.
According to court records, sometime in November 2018, Davies hatched a plan to defraud Mr Abraham, of US$700 000, which she used to settle her debt with a Bulawayo businessman.
It was stated that Davies approached Abraham and misrepresented to him that she had some free funds in South Africa and if he had any payments to settle in the neighbouring country, she had the capacity to do so. After falling prey to her trap, Abraham is said to have transferred US$700 000 into her account.
Abraham told Davies that his company had two major invoices, which had to be settled to Nedlac Automation South Africa adding to R3 500 000.
The court is yet to prove that the invoices were to be settled as R3 070 000 to Maggotteax South Africa for goods bought and delivered to PPC Bulawayo and R430 000 to Toyota Nelspruit for Nedlac Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd company vehicle.
According to investigations by Zacc, it was established that when the money was transferred into an Ecobank account, US$72 000 financed an overdraft and US$628 000 was transferred to a Steward Bank account.
The investigations also established that on 29 November 2018, R450 000 was paid to Nedlac Automation
South Africa FNB account by Davies and she converted a balance of R3 050 000 to her own use.
Out of the US$700 000 only US7 432 was recovered.
Allegations against Moyo are that in June last year, Abraham was introduced to her by Khayelista Tshuma, and she indicated that she could assist him in recovering his US$700 000, since she was related to the President and would make arrangements so Abraham could meet the President.
It is reported that on June 7, Moyo met Abraham in Harare where she told him that she had met the President during a clean-up campaign.
Moyo allegedly made Abraham believe that she had briefed the President about the challenges he was facing in transferring money into the FNB account of his South African company, Nediac Automation.
She also allegedly told Abraham that she had a facility with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe which allows her to effect telegraphic money transfers and was in a position to assist.
The court heard that Moyo requested Abraham to transfer the equivalent of R470 522.
It is the State’s case that Moyo forged a copy of a telegraphic money transfer worth R470 522, saying it was processed at Ecobank Borrowdale branch. When the transfer did not reflect in his company’s South African bank account, Abraham requested Moyo to reverse the transfer.
Moyo, however, told him that she could not reverse it, as it would compromise her company.
The court heard that between July 4 and 10 last year, Abraham received a total of R180 000 in his Nedlac Automation bank account, which Moyo claimed to have deposited.
It was during that time that Abraham discovered that he had been duped after Moyo failed to account for the remaining R290 522.
Online Reporter