Swipe scam barmen out of custody Nqobizitha Tshuma
Nqobizitha Tshuma

Nqobizitha Tshuma

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
THE two barmen who were arrested for allegedly siphoning close to $1 500 from the coffers of popular chill out spot Hartsfield Tshisanyama have been released from custody after their parents paid part of the money and agreed to reimburse the remainder in three months.

The duo, Nqobizitha Tshuma and Thomas Junior Chaka were arrested for allegedly defrauding the company of $1 455 in a scam that used Point of Sale (POS) machines from January 11 to February 5. The fraud was discovered on Wednesday last week.

After being locked up in police cells, the two through family, friends and using some money from their pockets paid $1 000. They also signed an affidavit that they would pay back the balance of $455 in three months.

Tshisanyama manager Mduduzi Mdlongwa confirmed that they had dropped charges after the two paid part of the money.

“On Friday their parents paid us $1 000 and we withdrew the case at the Area Public Prosecutor (Simon Nleya). He then advised us that if they default in payment we should approach the civil court.

“They signed an affidavit stating they were going to pay back the rest of the money in three months time. All we wanted as a business was the money they took,” said Mdlongwa.

He said he suspects the other transactions that they discovered for last year’s business were when the duo was selling cash to patrons as there was a serious cash shortage.

“I still believe that in December they were selling cash at our place. That’s why when we were calculating we realised that there could have been an anomaly. We will be looking at our books more because there are some things aren’t making sense,” said Mdlongwa.

He said although they were part of the team which built Tshisanyama, they were not taking them back.

“It’s all in the past and we can only move forward. This marks the end of our relationship with the two, we thank them for the times we had together at Tshisanyama,” said Mdlongwa.

This is not the first brush with the law that Tshuma has had as four years ago he was allegedly part of a six-man poaching syndicate involving elephant tusks.

Some of its members based in Bulawayo allegedly poisoned and killed 41 elephants at Hwange National Park. A total of 17 tusks valued at about $120 000 were recovered. The gang would allegedly target pools frequented by elephants at the national park and use salt laced with cyanide to kill jumbos.

Tshuma was part of four of the members who were acquitted after the ring leaders, Sipho Mafu (53) and Misheck Mafu (46) of Thula Line in Tsholotsho, exonerated them from the crime.

@bonganinkunzi

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