US$107K theft house helper appears in court

Michael Mashiri

Zim Now Correspondent

The house helper who conspired with her police officer lover to steal from her employer US$107 000 has been taken to court.

Marvelous Mapfumo, 34, of Nyatsime, Chitungwiza, appeared before magistrate Ethel Chichera at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts charged with theft.

The complainant in this matter is Sisi Lin, 38.

The State alleges that in May, Lin would safe keep his money from sales from his supermarket in a drawer in his bedroom.

It is alleged that he would always leave the bedroom door unlocked during the day to allow Mapfumo to clean the whole house as well as the bedroom.

The court heard that in the same month Mapfumo, while cleaning the room discovered that there was money hidden in a drawer and told her boyfriend, Herbert Kurebgwaseka, who was a police officer stationed at Central Criminal Bureau, Harare.

Kurebgwaseka is alleged to have asked Mapfumo to leave the money until it had accumulated to a larger figure so that they would steal it.

To execute their plan without leaving any traces, Kurebgwaseka allegedly bought a new line and registered it in his names, inserted it into a new phone which he gave Mapfumo for communication.

He allegedly asked her to avoid using her original numbers whenever they talk about the money issue.

It is alleged that Kurebgwaseka told Mapfumo that they would communicate on the new line once Mapfumo was ready to take away the money from the house.

The court heard that on May 30, at around 1000 hours, Lin left his house unlocked as usual and went to work.

He left his money, US$107 000 in the drawer as usual.

It is alleged that Mapfumo contacted Kurebgwaseka telling him that she wanted to steal the money on the same day and that he should come to pick her up with the stolen money.

At around 1700 hours, on May 30, Mapfumo told Kurebgwaseka that she had managed to steal all the money and put it into a satchel.

Kurebgwaseka teamed up with his workmate Paul Kondo and they drove using a Honda Fit to the house.

When they arrived Kurebgwaseka told Mapfumo that they had arrived and she came out of the house with her belongings and the satchel containing the money.

The three of them went to Ekhaya Lodge in Waterfalls and Kondo booked a room there.

They went into the room and counted the money which had amounted to US$107 000.

They agreed to share the money with Kurebgwaseka taking US$30 000, Kondo got US$30 000 and Mapfumo got US$47 000.

After sharing the money it is alleged that Kurebgwaseka told Mapfumo that he was afraid she was being tracked by investigating officers and that he should take her share of US$47 000 for safekeeping and he took it from her.

The court heard that Mapfumo spent the whole night at Ekhaya Lodge.

The next day, Kurebgwaseka and Kondo returned to Ekhaya Lodge and picked Mapfumo and took her to Sunningdale 2, where Kondo’s girlfriend, Tracy Madzima resides and they pleaded with her to take care of Mapfumo while they were looking for a house to stay for her.

It is alleged that between May 31 and June 11, Mapfumo was staying with Madzima and Kondo would come to see them from time to time.

Kurebgwaseka had allegedly escaped and his whereabouts were unknown.

Kondo told Mapfumo that they had found a place to stay for her in Glen View 3, and had bought household property for her but could not proceed as there were detectives investigating the case who had already picked the information and set a trap to arrest her.

On June 11, Kondo picked Mapfumo from Sunningdale and gave her US$1 000 and asked her to flee to South Africa, while waiting for the availability of Kurebgwaseka.

Kondo then asked Mapfumo to board a truck which was going to South Africa via Botswana.

Once she was in Bulawayo, on the way to Botswana, on June 12, detectives from CID Nkulumane picked information about the whereabouts of Mapfumo and they managed to track her down and arrested her while the truck she had boarded was refuelling in Bulawayo.

She was detained at CID Nkulumane, before being escorted to CID Highlands on June 13, for further management.

Kurebgwaseka and Kondo had bought property, a Bowline queen-sized bed, Bowline 3-quarter bed, an SPJ 4 plate gas stove, Capri refrigerator, 7x2 in 1 blankets, 2x bed spreads, 15 piece set of Dolphin pots, 2x small Kango pots and a big Kango pot from the money they had stolen and put the property at a house in Glen View 3 where they had paid rentals for Mapfumo to stay there.

The police seized the property and took it as exhibits as well as a Honda Fit belonging to Kondo which was used in the commission of the offence.

As a result, US$107 was stolen and US$1 800 worth of property which had been bought from the proceeds of the crime was recovered.