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Midlands Bureau
A PUBLIC Service Commission (PSC) employee has been arrested for duping three trained teachers of US$800 claiming he would get them employment.
Appearing before Gweru Provincial Magistrate Ms Beaulity Dube was Tinashe Joseph Mpofu (38) of Old Prison Complex in Gweru facing two counts of criminal abuse of office as a public official.
Mpofu did not plead since it was an initial remand.
The State led by prosecutor Ms Hellen Khosa applied to place him on remand, an application that was granted by Ms Dube.
Mpofu who was represented by Mr Esau Mandipa of Mandipa, Makwara and Chikukwa legal practice was ordered to deposit US$50 with the Gweru clerk of court and to report once a fortnight on Fridays to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) offices at the Government complex.
Ms Dube also ordered Mpofu not to interfere with the State witnesses and to continue residing at his old prison complex residence before remanding him out of custody to November 8.
It is the State case that Mpofu allegedly duped Barbra Bere of US$300 after promising to facilitate her employment as a teacher with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education through the PSC.
It was alleged that Bere met the accused at the Government Complex on March 24, where she paid him US$150.
Mpofu insisted that Bere should pay the full amount so that she could secure the job before schools opened for the second term of 2024.
The court heard that Bere borrowed the other US$150 and paid Mpofu.
However, Mpofu failed to facilitate the job, prompting Bere to request a refund in September 2024, but she never recovered the money.
In March 2024, Mpofu reportedly used the same modus operandi and duped Masaila Tenjiwe of Mkoba 11 of US$300, which she never recovered.
On the third count, the court heard that Mpofu duped George Nyanda of US$200 claiming he would secure a job for his wife in the public service.
In February 2024, Nyanda met the accused at the Government Complex car park, where he handed over his wife’s curriculum vitae.
Mpofu demanded a facilitation fee of US$400 to speed up the process, but Nyanda insisted he could only pay US$200, with the balance to be paid once his wife got the job.
Mpofu was paid the initial deposit in May 2024, but Nyanda’s wife never got the job.
According to ZACC investigations, the process for application or registration for jobs in the PSC database are offered without any facilitation fee or payments.