Pair ‘milks’ firm of R118 000

Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
A Dairibord Zimbabwe (Limited) employee has been arrested for alleged fraud involving R118 000 after he used his employer’s import permit to facilitate the importation of dairy products from South Africa by another Harare company.

Mike Dongo, whose age was not given in court and lives in Whitecliff, was nabbed when two truck drivers who were carrying the contraband went to Dairibord Zimbabwe premises in Harare instead of Intrepid Foods.

The trucks were intercepted after workers at the company expressed lack of knowledge of the imports and reported to the police. Dongo pleaded not guilty to a charge of fraud when he appeared before Beitbridge magistrate Mr Godswill Mavenge on Thursday.

He was remand to April 20 on $200 bail.

Prosecuting, Mr Pernson Chekeya told the court that the accused is a former employee of Dairibord Zimbabwe and was deployed to the exports section.

He said on October 30 last year, the accused applied for and obtained four import permits from the ministries of Agriculture and Economic Planning for the importation of milk.

Dongo also applied for four more import permits from the department of Livestock and Veterinary Services.

Mr Chekeya said on December 25, the accused connived with one Muneyi Nyoni, who is still at large, to fraudulently import goods on behalf of Intrepid Foods using Dairibord permits. Armed with the permits, the duo then imported milk worth R118 000 from South Africa through Beitbridge Border Post.

The court further heard that the issue came to light when the drivers carrying the milk drove to Dongo’s workplace intending to offload the goods.

The accused’s workmates alerted their superiors who then informed the police resulting in both trucks being intercepted as they intended to leave the premises.