Online Reporter
Kimberley Chitambara, [email protected]
A 44-year-old Bulawayo woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for defrauding her South Africa-based brother-in-law of nearly R1 million in a bogus residential stand and housing construction scheme.
Idah Dimba of Njube suburb was convicted of fraud by Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube.
Before sentencing, the magistrate asked Dimba to account for how she used the funds, but she failed to provide an explanation or identify any assets purchased.
She will serve an effective eight years in jail after two years were suspended on condition she does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.
The prosecutor, Mr Sehliselo Khumalo, told the court that in 2022, the complainant, Fanuel Ncube, sought assistance in purchasing a residential stand while working in South Africa.
Dimba claimed to have found a stand for sale in Bulawayo’s Mahatshula suburb and instructed him to send money through Mukuru Money Transfer for the alleged purchase.
After supposedly securing the stand, Ncube sent Dimba a building plan and additional funds for construction. The court heard that Dimba regularly sent him fake photographs purporting to show progress on the house.
“In 2023, when the complainant returned to Zimbabwe and attempted to view the stand, the accused falsely claimed there had been a double allocation,” said Mr Khumalo.
Ncube continued sending money throughout the process, eventually transferring a total of R800 000 to Dimba. When he returned again in 2025 and insisted on viewing the property, Dimba became evasive.
This raised suspicion, leading Ncube to discover that no stand had been purchased and no construction had taken place.
A police report was filed, resulting in Dimba’s arrest. The court heard that none of the money was recovered.
