Diplomat loses car worth US$40k car to late hubby’...

Diplomat loses car worth US$40k car to late hubby’s friend

Michael Mashiri

Zim Now Correspondent

A man, who allegedly defrauded Deputy Ambassador of Zimbabwe to Namibia a car worth US$40 000, has been taken to court.

Tinashe Mungwena, 38, of Marondera, appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts facing theft of trust property charges.

Mungwena, who was coming from home, was remanded to June 11.

The complainant in this matter is the Deputy Ambassador of Zimbabwe ti Namibia, Cathrine Maiswa, 38.

The State alleges that sometime in 2022, Maiswa’s late husband acquired a Toyota Fortuner from High Range Land Developers.

The court heard that since 2022, Maiswa has been personally using the car since she had agreed with her husband that it was her personal car.

Maiswa’s husband gave Mungwena, his long-time friend and workmate, the car in trust for temporary use and that he would return the car back to him.

On March 7, Maiswa’s husband was involved in a fatal road accident in Victoria Falls and died.

During that time, Mungwena still had the car, as he would usually do from time to time.

Maiswa then requested Mungwena to return the car as it formed part of her husband’s estate.

It is alleged that he refused to return the car, claiming he had bought it from the deceased on September 8, 2023 and had partly paid money for the car and no agreement of sale was crafted as it was based on trust.

It is alleged that Mungwena took advantage of the complainant’s husband’s death.

This then caused Maiswa to make a police report. On April 20, Mungwena surrendered himself to the police and during the interviews, it was established that he had surrendered the car to ZRP Bulawayo Traffic through his wife after he learnt that the case had been reported.