adminNokusa Masuku Court Reporter
A 67-year-old EcoCash agent has dragged his employee to court alleging that she stole his money and replaced it with Zimbabwean dollars and pieces of newspapers.
However, the employee, Confidence Zhou, 26, is pleading innocence arguing that she deposited US$277 in her cash box only for the money to miraculously turn into Zimbabwe dollars and old newspaper cuttings, a magistrate heard yesterday.
Zhou appeared before Western Commonage Provincial magistrate, Willard Maphios Moyo, facing theft charges. She pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded out of custody to today for continuation of trial.
Prosecuting Mufaro Mageza told the court that in September this year, at Tikili shops in Mpopoma, Zhou converted her employer, Augustine Dube’s cash to her own use. She allegedly stole US$200 cash from the EcoCash business and US$77 worth of airtime.
The court heard that Zhou was on duty and she was employed to run Dube’s EcoCash booth.
Mageza said Zhou removed the money and airtime from the drawer where she usually keeps it and placed it in a phone charging box. She locked the box and went out for a few minutes.
The court heard that when she came back, Zhou realised that she had lost the keys to open the box where she had put the money and airtime. It is alleged Zhou then called Dube asking for duplicate keys.
Dube directed her to where she could get the duplicate keys, the court heard.
Mageza said Zhou opened the box only to discover Zimbabwean dollars and pieces of newspapers instead of the money and airtime she had left in the box.
Zhou told the court that she did not steal the money but when she opened the box, the money had changed into Zimbabwean dollars and pieces of newspaper.
Online Reporter