POPULAR musician Nicholas Chase Skhuza escaped jail after he was yesterday slapped with 280 hours of community service for fraudulently selling a residential stand, which did not belong to him.
BY SILAS NKALA
Skhuza pleaded guilty to the fraud charge when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Merylin Mutshina.
The magistrate convicted and sentenced him to 24 months in jail.
Eight months of the sentence were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
Another eight months were further suspended on condition he restituted the complainant, Kenneth Chihota $2 900.
The remaining eight months were suspended on condition he performed 280 hours of community service.
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In passing sentence, the court considered that Skhuza was a first offender, a married man with nine children to look after and had shown contrition for his act.
The court heard that sometime in January this year, Gift Makoronga placed a newspaper advertisement intending to sell his two-roomed house in Cowdray Park.
Chihota immediately expressed interest in buying the house.
He then changed his mind saying the house was expensive and opted to buy a residential stand.
Makoronga advised him that Skhuza had a stand he was selling in Cowdray Park.
Chihota then met Skhuza and they went to see the stand.
Skhuza advised that the stand was worth $4 000, but demanded a down payment of $3 000, with the balance to be paid directly to the Bulawayo City Council.
On January 7 2015, Chihota paid $2 900 and an agreement of sale was signed by both parties.
Later Chihota discovered that the stand in question was being developed by another resident and was at slab level.
Chihota reported the matter to the police after Skhuza became evasive.
