A Harare magistrate has issued a stern warning to a forex dealer accused of diverting US$30,000 meant for business to pay for his wife’s lobola.
Rangarirai Shumbairerwa, 28, is facing theft charges after allegedly failing to use the money to purchase goods in South Africa as agreed with his business partner, Tamai Dadirai, H-Metro has reported.
The court heard that Shumbairerwa received the money from Dadirai at Nyahokwe Mall in Harare’s central business district in October last year. The funds were intended to order clothes and blankets for Dadirai’s shops at the mall. However, the goods never arrived.
Instead of transferring the money electronically to South Africa as agreed, Shumbairerwa allegedly used it to fund a lavish traditional marriage ceremony. He later admitted to using the money for lobola and promised to repay Dadirai in instalments. However, six months later, no repayment has been made.
During a recent court hearing, Shumbairerwa claimed that he received the money from Salisio Janyure, Dadirai’s ex-husband, who is a high-ranking official in the Air Force of Zimbabwe. He argued that Janyure gave him the money to buy goods on Dadirai’s behalf.
However, Shumbairerwa has failed to locate Janyure to testify in his defence. This prompted the magistrate, Ethel Chichera, to question the validity of his claim, pointing out the absurdity of a witness delaying to testify in a case involving his own money.
The magistrate expressed frustration at the delay tactics employed by Shumbairerwa, warning him that failure to produce Janyure as a witness would result in the court closing his defence case. The matter has been postponed to next Tuesday.
The State alleges that the two have been in business together since 2022 and that nothing has been recovered from the US$30,000 transaction. Dadirai has accused Shumbairerwa of violating their trust agreement and using the money for personal gain.