A 35-year-old woman from Barham Green, Bulawayo, on Tuesday, appeared before regional magistrate Benhilda Chiundura on charges of stealing US$24,000 from the steel manufacturing company where she works in the Belmont industrial area during an armed robbery.
The Chronicle reported that the accused person, Nothando Banana, allegedly committed the crime on October 15, the same day that robbers, armed with pistols and a garden pick, stole US$32,500 in a violent incident. She is being charged with theft of trust funds.
Banana is being represented by Bob Siansole of Shenje and Company.
She reportedly attempted to cover up her crime by blaming the robbers for the missing money. She was released on US$100 bail and will return to court on November 1.
Prosecutor Jethro Mada told the court that Banana took advantage of the robbery to steal US$24,400 from a safe she was responsible for, where cash from salespersons was deposited before being handed over to her superiors.
He said the suspects confronted the security guards and workers on night duty and ordered them to lie down before tying their hands and legs with shoelaces. Said Mada:
The gang proceeded to an office upstairs where they used a grinder to cut open two safes. They only stole from one safe and left the one Banana was entrusted with depositing money from salespersons before handing it to the company authorities.
Mada further alleged that company authorities found that the safe Banana was entrusted with, containing US$ 27,000, had not been tampered with while doing an inventory of the losses. He said:
They then asked for keys from the accused person and unlocked the safe. Upon opening the safe, they discovered that out of US$27 000, only US$2 600 was left. Upon interviewing her, she admitted to having used the money.
He said Banana was arrested the following day after a night of extravagant spending spree in Bulawayo.
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