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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
TWO clearing agents in Victoria Falls are at each other’s throat with one accusing the other of stealing from him.
Long time partners in the clearing business, Paul Shambare, 33, and Gift Murapa had a fallout two years ago when they traded accusations of failing to run their business.

Shambare and Murapa were co-directors of Crystal Clearing Company, specialising in clearing trucks at Victoria Falls and Kazungula border post.
Murapa dragged his former partner Shambare, who now runs Express Cargo Clearing Company, to court accusing him of theft.

Shambare pleaded not guilty to three counts of theft when he appeared before Victoria Falls magistrate this week.

He was remanded out of custody on his own cognisance to May 18.

In his defence, Shambare who resides in Chinotimba told the court that Murapa was fabricating charges against him because he was a failure in business.

“He has failed to run the business which I left him and is just fabricating issues. Why would I stoop so low as to steal computers?” questioned Shambare.

Allegations levelled against Shambare are that in 2011 when he was still a co-director at Crystal Clearing, he broke into their office at night and stole a computer CPU, three boxes of bond paper, five staplers and car stickers allegedly to use to form his company.

The property was worth $770.

It is alleged that after forming his company, Shambare on January 6, 2012, went on to forge an invoice bearing Crystal Company details and received money on the company’s behalf yet he had resigned.

“The accused made an invoice dated January 6, 2012, for a job by Crystal Clearing Company prior to his resignation. He signed for $4,960 from Southgate and converted the money to his own use,” said prosecutor Takunda Ndovorwi.

On the third count, it is alleged that Shambare obtained bond forms from Zimra which he was supposed to sign and be counter-signed by Murapa as a co-director.

The State alleges that Shambare completed his section and forged Murapa’s signature.

The offence was discovered when the forms were declined at Zimra.

Shambare denies the charges, saying he never completed the forms, arguing that many people at their offices had access to company keys.