Yeukai Karengezeka Court Correspondent
A Harare man yesterday appeared in court for allegedly duping a famous local furnisher company US$4 500 after fraudulently receiving two tenders to install solar systems on behalf of his company.
Paul Annels Maphayike (32) appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi charged with fraud.
He was granted $100 000 bail.
The complainant is Nash Furnishers (Pvt) Ltd, represented by internal auditor Chenesa Mbinda.
Maphayike is a former employee of Axis Solutions where he was employed as accounts manager and is now employed by Cairns Foods as sales representative.
The State alleged that sometime in December 2022, Nash Furnishers decided to install a solar backup system at their branch in Zvishavane.
Maphayike and his accomplice, Tatenda Dondo who was employed by Nash Furnishers as technology manager and is currently out of custody on bail hatched a plan to defraud the furnisher shop.
Dondo then raised a quotation of US$2 060 for the installation of solar system purporting to have been raised by Axis Solutions yet in actual fact Axis Solutions does not deal with Solar systems.
Nash Furnishers accepted to offer a tender to the Axis Solutions to do supply and fix of solar system equipment.
On December 8, Nash Furnishers released payment of US$2 060 cash to Axis Solutions through Dondo for the installation of solar backup system.
Maphayike then went and collected the money from Nash Furnishers purporting to be collecting on behalf of Axis Solutions.
The pair then went on to engage Takudzawa Gombiro and Jeffreys Knowledge Mutero who are into solar system industry and they took them to Zvishavane and did the solar installation job on their behalf.
The court heard that in February, Nash Furnishers decided to install another solar backup system in Chiredzi and the two again decided to defraud them.
They raised another quotation of US$2 460 for the installation of solar backup system and made the payment on February 7.
Maphayike collected the money purporting that he was from Axis yet he had resigned from Axis Solutions on 31 January.
The two this time engaged Takudzwa Gorimbo to do the job.
Nash Furnishers discovered that the installations done were not working properly and decided to engage Axis Solutions to rectify the problem.
That is when the company denied ever doing installations or receiving money from Nash Furnishers.
As a result, Nash Furnishers lost US$4520.