Man gambles away nephew’s US$17k

Pharmacy manager, Marshall Mashaka (27), said he received a report from Magdalena Mavhunga, a dispensary assistant, that there had been a theft at the clinic.

Yeukai Karengezeka-Court Correspondent

A 33-YEAR-OLD man from Mt Hampden, just outside Harare, is facing allegations of squandering his nephew’s US$17 100 on betting in just 13 days.

Munyaradzi Gumunyu appeared before a Harare magistrate over the weekend, charged with theft in a case that has turned a simple family favour into a story of betrayal and gambling addiction.

According to the State, the complainant, Brandon Chirisa, entrusted Gumunyu with the money on November 9 at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, just before leaving for the United Kingdom.

The funds were intended to be handed over to Chirisa’s sister, Florence Hove, the following day. Instead of fulfilling his responsibility, Gumunyu reportedly began using the money almost immediately.

Between November 10 and November 23, he transferred the funds into his EcoCash wallet and shifted significant amounts into his Africabet account, where he placed bets that ultimately drained the entire sum.