Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
In a case of betrayal, a Harare man has appeared in court for allegedly defrauding his girlfriend of US$2 200 by lying about his father’s illness and death to get money from her.
The accused, 43-year-old Robert Chifeya, reportedly started to ask for money in June 2024 while in a romantic relationship with the complainant.
According to the State, Chifeya claimed that his father, Godfrey Chifeya, was gravely ill and needed financial assistance to cover his medical bills.
Moved by concern and compassion, the complainant provided Chifeya with various amounts of money on multiple occasions, based on his claims about his father’s deteriorating condition.
In July 2024, Chifeya escalated the deception by informing the complainant that his father had died.
He requested for more, claiming he needed it for funeral arrangements and burial expenses, as his money was insufficient.
The complainant, still unaware of the fraud, continued to give Chifeya money, believing she was helping him through a difficult time.
In total, she gave him US$2 200. However, the truth eventually came to light when the complainant managed to obtain contact details of Chifeya’s father and reached out to him.
This is when she discovered that not only was Godfrey Chifeya alive, but he was also unaware of his son’s claims.
The revelation left the complainant devastated, having suffered a financial loss of US$2 200 due to Robert’s misrepresentation.
Chifeya has since been charged with fraud and was granted US$50 bail. He is expected to return to court on October 20.
