Man Faces Theft Charges for Selling Stand and Poc...

Man Faces Theft Charges for Selling Stand and Pocketing Proceeds

Munyaradzi Mashiri

Zim Now Court Correspondent

Johanes Muchimika, 53, of Juru, Bhora, has been taken to court after allegedly selling a stand entrusted to him by a complainant and pocketing the proceeds.

The case is being heard at the Harare Magistrates' Courts, where Muchimika faces charges of theft of trust property. He was granted bail of US$300 and is set to appear in court on January 14, 2025.

According to the State, on October 5, 2016, the complainant, who was residing in the United Kingdom, gave Muchimika permission to sell her stand.

Muchimika proceeded to sell the stand for US$15,000 but did not pass on the proceeds to the complainant. He also failed to inform her that the stand had been sold.

The complainant became suspicious and inquired about the stand and the money on November 5, 2016. Muchimika falsely claimed that the stand had not been sold and that no money was owed to her.

Two days later, on November 7, the complainant and Muchimika visited the land developer to verify the status of the property. Upon checking the documents, they discovered that the stand had been sold to one Tsitsi Dorothy Zaranyika by Letwin Shamiso Sande.

However, further investigation revealed that the signature on the sale agreement was Muchimika's, not the complainant's.

When questioned, Sande confirmed that she had not sold the stand to Zaranyika.

Muchimika later confessed to selling the stand to Zaranyika for US$15,000 and kept the money for himself.

The money, which totalled US$20,000 after further analysis, has not been recovered, and Muchimika has failed to account for it. As a result, he was arrested and is now facing criminal charges.