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A POPULAR social media personality has been found guilty of enjoying food worth over $364 500 at a local restaurant without paying.
Kudakwashe Hove, who is known on social media as @iamhove, pleaded guilty to defrauding Sabai Thai Restaurant in Ballantyne Park, Harare.
He also pleaded guilty to a theft charge for stealing the restaurant’s manager cellphone, which had been left on the counter while he was attending to other customers.
Hove will be back in court today for sentencing.
The State led by Shambadzeni Fungura, heard it that on January 10, at around 7pm, Hove went to the restaurant where he ordered a takeaway.
He then approached the cashier and indicated that he had paid for the takeaway using a Zipit transaction.
According to the State, he then went on to send a fake confirmation message to the receiving mobile number and presented it to the cashier as “proof of payment”.
Believing the confirmation message, the cashier processed the order, but the cashier later noticed the con after Hove had already left the restaurant.
The restaurant was duped of food worth $96 300 on this occasion.
On January 12, Hove returned to the same restaurant around 5pm and ordered food worth $268 200.
He used the same modus operandi and went way after producing another fake proof of payment.
He was busted when he tried his luck for the third time and handed over to the police.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter