admin
Melody Baya, Court Reporter
A WOMAN from Bulawayo has been arraigned for allegedly embezzling close to $3,000 from a burial society.
Siphephelaphi Sebele, 40, of Cowdray park suburb, appeared before Provincial magistrate Abednico Ndebele charged with theft.
She allegedly stole the money from Zivainhamo Burial Society and it’s chairlady, Nollin Mapanduki, 42, is the complainant in the case.
Ndebele did not ask Sebele to plead and remanded her out of custody to today.
Sebele, who is the treasurer of the burial society, denied stealing the money.
“I lent it to a member of the society but she has failed to pay back. I gave her $2,891 in cash,” said Sebele.
She did not name the member that she gave the money to.
Prosecuting, Stewart Madzore told the court that on October 7, 2015, Zivainhamo burial society handed over $3,011 to Sebele for safe keeping in cash box at her house.
“The keys to the cash box remained with the complainant and her deputy Vimbai Timbuwa,” said Madzore.
“On an unknown date during the period extending between October 7, 2015 and February 19, 2016, the accused person connived with the unidentified second accused and opened the burial society cash box using an unknown object and took cash amounting to $2,891 which they converted to their personal use.”
The prosecutor said the matter came to light on February 19 when other society members discovered that only $120 was left in the cash box.
Madzore said Mapanduki made a police report resulting in Sebele’s arrest.
derick.khumalo