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Ishumael Amidu

Emily Mbewe Court Reporter
TWO Malawians allegedly conned a Bulawayo man of $1,200 after telling him they had mystical powers to make the money multiply.

Dickson Twaibu 40, and Ishumael Amidu, 30, pleaded not guilty to fraud when they appeared before a Bulawayo magistrate Charity Maphosa facing a charge of fraud.

They were remanded in custody to March 9.

The pair drew laughter from the gallery when they said they were still in the process of performing rituals that would multiply the money to $6,000.

They claimed Mbuso Msipa of Kingsdale suburb rushed to the police just as his money had started “growing.”

“We don’t admit to the charge your worship because we aren’t yet finished with the rituals that will make the money multiply,” said Twaibu.

Prosecuting, Kudakwashe Jaravaza told the court that on February 19, 2015 at around 11AM in Kingsdale suburb Msipa called Twaibu and Amidu to his house so that they would use their supernatural powers to multiply his money.

“Msipa gave the two a sum of $1,200 so that they could multiply it,” said Jaravaza.

He Msipa later reported Twaibu and Amidu to the police after they refused to return his money.

The court heard that the two told Msipa they would only release his “multiplied cash” if he paid a $6,000 penalty, for lying to them that he had notified his wife about the rituals they were conducting.

In a related case, Spirit Embassy Church leader Prophet Uebert Angel is facing fraud charges involving a luxury vehicle worth $300,000.

Angel allegedly misrepresented to Shava Ndabazinengi who is the director of Faith-Edge Holdings (in Harare) that if he “seeds” his Bentley Continental, Ndabazinengi would in eight months receive several vehicles, assets and money as blessings.

Ndabazinengi demanded his vehicle back after the promised blessings did not materialise.