$900 000 cement stolen

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LEADING CEMENT manufacturer Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) allegedly lost cement valued at $900 000 to a syndicate that worked with the company’s credit controller.

LEADING CEMENT manufacturer Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) allegedly lost cement valued at $900 000 to a syndicate that worked with the company’s credit controller.

SILAS NKALA/ RICHARD MUPONDE

Florence Ngulube (37) the PPC credit controller on Monday appeared in court for allegedly working in cahoots with a syndicate of businessmen to steal cement.

On the same day, former Tsholotsho South MP Maxwell Dube of the MDC-T spent a night in police cells after he was arrested for allegedly defrauding PPC of cement worth over $450 000 in a period spanning over two years.

Dube, who lost the Tsholotsho South constituency to Zanu PF’s Zenzo Sibanda in last year’s elections, was arrested by detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) fraud section and locked up at Bulawayo Central Police Station.

He was taken to court yesterday morning, but the case was not heard after the prosecution directed detectives to sort the paperwork out properly and Dube was locked at the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court holding cells until 3pm.

The former legislature was later released after the prosecution cited lack of incriminating evidence and instead indicated that they might turn him into a State witness.

Dube’s lawyer Tanaka Muganyi confirmed his client’s release.

“He has been released. The State felt that he could be a State witness in the matter. He is a free man now,” he said.

Allegations against Dube were that between 2012 and July 2014 he connived with Ngulube to defraud PPC.

The pair allegedly created false customer accounts purchase orders and thereafter Dube collected loads of cement, which he sold at his Yorkworld Hardware in Tsholotsho.

Total prejudice was alleged to be $452 992,76 and nothing was recovered.

Meanwhile, Ngulube of Burnside in Bulawayo was not asked to plead to fraud when she appeared before Bulawayo senior magistrate Sibongile Msipa.

Her lawyer Mlamuli Ncube made an oral bail application submission on her behalf.

Ncube asked the court to consider that Ngulube resides at her stated residential address, report twice to the police’s Criminal Investigations Department fraud section every week, surrender her passport and be asked to pay $800 bail.

However, the State represented by Kasenza Danmore opposed the bail application and called a key State witness, Detective Sergeant Thabani Sibanda, who said there were high chances of her interfering with witnesses.

“Our investigations have shown that there are two other suspects in the matter who are still at large and there is a possibility of her interfering with investigations which might lead to the arrest of the remaining suspects,” he said. “The amount involved is too large and accused deserves to be detained.”

The court heard that on an unknown date, but between January 2012 and July 2014 at PPC offices at the corner of 13th Avenue and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street in Bulawayo, Ngulube connived with the two local businesspeople with the intention of defrauding PPC by crediting incorrect figures in customers’ accounts purchasing orders for cement which she gave them.

The two would thereafter collect the cement without paying for it.

The alleged fraud was discovered and a report was made to the police, leading to Ngulube’s arrest.