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Fungai Lupande Court Reporter
A school development committee chairperson at Hatfield Girls High School in Harare allegedly connived with the treasurer to inflate the cost of a school bus, swindling the school of about $66 000.
The SDC chairperson, Raphel Chigwana (42), and treasurer George Gumbo (45) yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Elijah Makomo.
They are facing fraud charges and Mr Makomo remanded them to April 28 on $200 bail each.
As part of their bail conditions, the pair was ordered to surrender their passports, reside at their given addresses and not to interfere with State witnesses. The complainant in the matter is the headmistress of Hatfield Girls’ High School.
Prosecuting, Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that sometime in November 2014, the SDC held an annual general meeting and resolved to buy a bus.
Gumbo and Chigwana were tasked to solicit for quotations and they settled for Unifreight Africa Limited who quoted $83 800 for a 75-seater Yutong bus.
It is alleged that the pair went back to the school and misrepresented that the bus cost $150 000.
Acting on the misrepresentation, the school transferred the money into Unifreight Africa Limited’s ABC Bank account 12612555402011 and was supplied with a bus and a trailer. It is alleged that on December 12, 2014 Gumbo and Chigwana wrote a letter to Unifreight claiming a refund of the excess of $66 200 saying $150 000 was sent in error.
Gumbo allegedly instructed that the refund be deposited into his personal CBZ Bank account number 68261099120010.
It is alleged that on February 22 this year Gumbo approached the school demanding $6 385 which he said was required by Unifreight as storage fees for the bus.
School officials visited Unifreight on March 3 to clarify the issue of storage fees and were issued with documents for the bus.
They were told that the bus cost $83 800 and $5 385 was for storage.
From the documents it was discovered that Gumbo had facilitated a refund of $66 200 into his personal account.
The court heard that he shared the money with Chigwana.
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