A resident of Pumula South suburb in Bulawayo by the name of Manase Manjovha found himself in trouble with the law recently. It is alleged that he defrauded Prince Ngwenya of over US$9,000 in a scheme where he promised to transfer money in exchange for cash.
The fraudulent activity involved a series of smaller successful transfers, followed by larger amounts that were never delivered. Initially, Manjovha claimed to have significant funds and convinced Ngwenya that he could facilitate a transfer of US$2.5 million to any country in return for cash.
To establish trust, Manjovha successfully completed two smaller transfers of US$100 and US$77, which Ngwenya confirmed had been received. This initial success led to a belief in their business relationship.
A week later, Manjovha approached Ngwenya again, this time requesting US$8,000 for a transfer to Italy. To deceive Ngwenya further, Manjovha provided a fraudulent proof of payment and collected the cash from him.
The following day, Manjovha repeated the scam, claiming to transfer US$1,300 to the UK. However, Ngwenya soon discovered that Manjovha had blocked him on all social media platforms, making it impossible to reach him. It became clear that Ngwenya had fallen victim to a scam orchestrated by Manjovha.
Upon realizing he had been scammed, Prince sought the help of a police officer friend and managed to locate Manjovha based on a tip-off from someone. Manjovha was subsequently arrested and taken into police custody.
Later, Manjovha appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Nomagugu Maphosa, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges of fraud. The magistrate granted him bail, and he was remanded out of custody until September 18, when his trial is set to begin.
