shloboe boe
Lesley Chikudo, chikudolesley@gmail.com
A 30-year-old Agri-Foods employee, employed as an accounts clerk and accused of stealing US$7 410 entrusted to her by the company, has been discharged at the close of the State case due to lack of evidence linking her to the alleged offence.
Ntombizodzwa Rubeni was alleged to have committed the offence sometime in November last year. In acquitting Rubeni, Bulawayo Western Commonage magistrate Mr Mehluli Moyo noted inconsistencies in the testimonies of the complainant and other witnesses.
“After listening to the testimonies by the complainant and other State witnesses, the court noted that there is a lack of evidence linking the accused to the offence. Accordingly, she is found not guilty and acquitted,” ruled the magistrate.
According to the State’s case presented by Mrs Ellen Matenga, around five in the evening, Rubeni received US$7 410 from Leonard Malunga for safekeeping.
“When Rubeni was asked to hand over the money, she failed to account for it,” said Mrs Matenga.
In her defence, Rubeni pleaded not guilty to the offence, stating that she did not steal the money.
“On the day in question, I was indeed handed US$7 410 by Leonard Malunga, which was cash sales collected on the day. I received the cash and issued a receipt for it. After receiving the cash, I put it in my desk drawer as was the norm, and the desk does not lock,” she said.
Rubeni told the court that around six in the evening, she discovered the money was missing and advised her manager, Mr Shoko, of what had transpired. She also stated that during the day, she went out of her office several times, leaving the door locked using a manual locking mechanism.
“The office door is such that if one inserts a long object next to the manual locking system, it is possible to open the door from the outside without a key, and someone might have entered and stolen the money,” said Rubeni.
Meanwhile, a 24-year-old Bulawayo woman has been dragged to court facing charges of theft after stealing a pair of shoes worth R800 from her 62-year-old boss.
Sithembinkosi Ngwenya from Cowdray Park appeared before the Bulawayo Western Commonage magistrate, Ms Sikhethile Moyo, who remanded her out of custody to 22 January on US$25 bail.
According to the State’s case presented by prosecutor Mr Tafara Dzimbanhete, the alleged offence occurred on December 17, 2024. Mr Dzimbanhete told the court that Ngwenya was once employed by Mrs Olitta Ncube as a house help.
“On the day in question, Ngwenya stole the shoes that were in Mrs Ncube’s bedroom and went away with them,” he said.
The court heard that Mrs Ncube reported the theft to the police, leading to Ngwenya’s arrest. The total value of the stolen goods is R800, and they were recovered.
