EX-JOURNO, WIFE ARRESTED FOR E250 000 FRAUD

MANZINI – A manager at World Vision Eswatini has lost about E250 000 after a transport business deal with Kwazi Foundation co-director went sour.

Kwazi Foundation co-director Kwazi Masuku and his pregnant wife Siphesihle Magongo have since been arrested and charged with theft by false pretences, in that they acted in common purpose when they allegedly defrauded World Vision manager Zodwa Msibi E250 000. According to their charges, the married couple were said to have misrepresented to Msibi that she must give them money amounting to E250 000, under the notion that they were selling a Quantum minibus while knowing very well that that was not true. The couple was said to have committed the offence on November 7, 2020, in the Manzini region.

Escaped

Masuku, who is a former journalist, is facing an additional charge of contravening Section 43 (1) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, in that he allegedly escaped lawful arrest by police officers from the Manzini Police Station on Monday. Interestingly, during their appearance before Manzini Magistrate Sindisile Zwane yesterday where they were formally charged with the aforementioned charges, Masuku pleaded with the court to allow him to compensate Msibi the amount of E250 000 within 25 days, in order to allow Msibi to continue using the Quantum minibus in her transport business. In making his application, Masuku claimed that he purchased the Quantum minibus from a certain Manzini businessman last year, as he had decided to start a transport business.

However, after only having used the vehicle in his business for a couple of months, he decided to sell it to Msibi for an amount of E250 000. He alleged that at the time, he was still paying instalments towards the vehicle to the initial owner of the Quantum minibus, as he had an agreement with the businessman, to purchase it through hire purchase. Masuku, who was at this point tearful, informed the court that he had intended to sell the vehicle to Msibi so that he could continue paying the instalments to the businessman, for the same vehicle. However, after defaulting a couple of instalments to the businessman, and all the while Msibi had only utilised the vehicle for only three months, the businessman decided to repossess the vehicle from an unsuspecting Msibi.

Application

In substantiating his application, Masuku revealed that he had a prospective investor in the business, who was willing to take over his debt owed to the businessman, so that the vehicle could return to Msibi.

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