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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
A MAN who with three others allegedly pretended to be a B-Metro reporter and extorted about $1,200 from a nun after claiming to have her nude pictures, has paid back the money, a court heard.

Mike Chimutanda, 41, of Acacia Grove in Marondera, a bank teller Tsitsi Kahari, 41, of Labsur Farm in Marondera, and their accomplices, Tenias Mapfune and Showan Ndlovu whose addresses and ages were not given, allegedly threatened to publish the Regina Mundi headmistress, Sister Concilia Jangara’s nude pictures unless she paid them $1,208.

Mapfune and Ndlovu are on the run while Kahari has turned State witness.

The court heard that a woman claiming to be Chimutanda’s wife had called and later deposited the money into the school lawyers’ bank account.

Chimutanda on Friday appeared before regional magistrate Musaiwona Shotgame facing one count of extortion.

He is pleading not guilty.

Chimutanda is out of custody on $100 bail and Shotgame postponed the case to October 30.

First on the witness stand was Sister Jangara, who confirmed that she has since been paid back the money.

“The school has received its money back after Chimutanda’s wife deposited the money into their legal representatives’ bank account,” said Sister Jangara.

She told of how she received a phone call from a man purporting to be a staunch Catholic.

She said the man told her he had an article about Regina Mundi Girls High indicating that the girls were practising homosexuality.

The man, sister Jangara said, told her he had proof that she was involved in a sexual relationship with a certain man.

Sister Jangara said the man also told her that B- Metro had her nude pictures which they had been given by her ICT teacher.

“The man referred me to Showan Ndlovu, who he said was the manager at B-Metro. Ndlovu told me that they had the story but couldn’t stop it from being published since she had called him very late,” said Sister Jangara.

She said Ndlovu later called her saying he had a solution.

“On August 10, this year Ndlovu said he needed $381 to pay Gezha, my ICT teacher whom he said had given them the story.

“I deposited the money into a Cabs account he had given me. After depositing the money I called him and he said he had made a blunder and wanted a further $421 to retrieve the story from the B-Metro archives,” said Sister Jangara.

She said Ndlovu later said he wanted an additional $400 which he said was to go towards the reporter’s commission and cameras, which were used to record Gezha giving them the story.

Sister Jangara said she paid a further $40 using an EcoCash account Ndlovu had given her.

“He had said he wanted fuel to bring me the article and material which they wanted to use for the story,” she said.

Sister Jangara said she realised that she had been duped after calling B-Metro offices in Bulawayo, only to be told that Ndlovu was not a manager there.

She said it was then that she decided to report the case to the police.

A Textacash agent at Cabs Building Society in Marondera, Marvellous Makavi, told the court Chimutanda approached her saying he had forgotten his Textacash card at his farm. “Using Textacash, Chimutanda withdrew $381 but I ran out of float. I asked my sister Tsitsi Kahari if she could assist him since she had an ATM card,” said Makavi.

Kahari said she first met Chimutanda after he borrowed her ATM card before going away with it for five days — a period he used to withdraw the money.

Prosecuting Calvin Guvheya told the court that in July this year, Kahari connived with Chimutanda to steal from the Regina Mundi Headmistress.

Guvheya said when Sister Jangara deposited the money into Chimutanda’s account, he transferred it into Kahari’s account and withdrew it.

“Kahari gave Chimutanda her bank card and pin number. The duo shared the money,” said Guvheya.