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Andile Tshuma, Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO businessman has appeared in court for allegedly defrauding a local milling company by supplying it with 1,5 tonnes of salt under the pretext that it was maize.

Mgcini Roy Ndlovu of Tshabalala suburb appeared before Western Commonage Magistrate Ms Tancy Dube charged with fraud.

He denied the charges and was remanded out of custody to tomorrow for trial.

For the State, Mr Mufaro Mageza said Ndlovu has been supplying Mathokozisa Milling Company with grain for some time.

He said last month, Ndlovu supplied the company with 1,5 tonnes of salt claiming that it was maize.

“On the 25th day of November 2016 at around 8:30 AM, the accused person came to the complainant intending to deliver seven tonnes of maize,” said the prosecutor.

The court heard that as part of the consignment, Ndlovu smuggled in 1,5 tonnes of salt in a bid to dupe his clients by claiming that it was maize.

“The accused person went back to the complainant with the inflated mass of maize so that he could get paid. Ndlovu was arrested while still off-loading the salt,” said Mr Mageza.

The potential prejudice to the company in that transaction was $523.

Mathokozisa Milling Company managing director Mr Mthokozisi Sibanda said his company lost thousands of dollars through the replacement of maize with salt leading them to set a trap that resulted in Ndlovu’s arrest. — @andile_tshuma.