Zimpapers Logo

Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent 

A GWANDA gold panner has been arrested for stealing 27 bottles of Black Label beer from a local supermarket valued at $270 after showing the till operator a fake Ecocash message as proof of payment.

Tanzwisisa Svesvetai (25) was not asked to plead when he appeared before Gwanda magistrate, Miss Lerato Nyathi, facing two counts of fraud. He was remanded in custody to October 10. Prosecuting, Miss Faith Mutukwa said Svesvetai entered Coolland Supermarket on two separate occasions and took a total of 27x375ml bottles of Black Label beer.

The gold panner allegedly pretended to pay for them using Ecocash and showed the till operator a fake message.

Miss Mutukwa said the offence was discovered after a customer tipped the till operator, Miss Lindankosi Ncube, as Svesvetai was leaving the supermarket.

“On 12 August Svesvetai entered Coolland Supermarket and took 15 x 375ml Black Label beers and proceeded with them to the till. He told the till operator, Miss Lindankosi Ncube that he wanted to pay using Ecocash and went on to show her a fake Ecocash message with the value of $150 and left with the beers,” she said.

“Svesvetai later returned to the supermarket and took 12 x 375ml bottles of Black Label beer and went to the same till operator. He showed her a fake Ecocash amount of $120 and pretended to have paid for the beer. As she was about to record the message down Miss Ncube noticed that the date on the message was incorrect and she gave back Svesvetai his phone and asked him to try again.” 

Miss Mutukwa said Svesvetai took the cellphone and edited the message and another customer who was next in line saw him doing that. She said Svesvetai showed Miss Ncube the edited message and she believed that he had made the payment and issued him with a receipt. 

Miss Mutukwa said as Svesvetai was leaving the supermarket, the other customer advised Miss Ncube of what he had seen.

“Miss Ncube checked Svesvetai’s phone and noticed that there were two messages with the same approval code and she informed her supervisor, Mr Nkosiyapha Sibanda. Mr Sibanda checked for a message on the supermarket’s cellphone to show that Svesvetai had made the payments but could not find his name,” she said.

Miss Mutukwa said the matter was reported to the police resulting in Svesvetai’s arrest. — @DubeMatutu