Online Reporter
WHEN Thembelani Siziba, who strangely also used the name Innocent Muncitsha (perhaps to mask his real identity), pitched up at Halsteds Builders in Mutare on July 14 this year, he only had about 32 bucks to buy one chromadek roof sheet.
He, however, wanted more.
As the master of disguises he thought he was, this was not a huge problem that a simple ballpoint pen could not fix.
He quickly improvised and stitched together a plan.
After purchasing building materials totalling US$32,96, he used his pen as a magic wand and fudged the figure to look like US$2 132,96.
Voila, just like that, and in an instant, he had added a whole US$2 000 to his invoice.
He also changed the quantity of the roof sheets from one to 90.
He handed over the invoice to dispatch, which quickly loaded his truck.
How could they have ever suspected?
Who goes to a wholesaler with a truck to buy just one roof sheet.
Siziba’s plan had worked like a charm.
His luck was, however, short-lived.
A diligent employee, just like the fictional star detective Sherlock Holmes, discovered the crime after he cross-referenced the loaded items with the company system.
Siziba was swiftly arrested in Mutare town. For his troubles, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, of which two months were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
For the next 10 months, he will likely rue why he did not learn the folly of trying to forge figures using a ballpoint pen.
Each night he goes to sleep, he will not be looking at a chromadek roof, but the dreary roof of a cold prison cell.
