A Harare travel agency, Five Bulls Leisure, along with its director Tichatonga Mudzonga (55) and employee Eve Tsvangira (29), appeared in court on charges of defrauding a client of US$17,364 in a bogus holiday package deal.
The accused were brought before magistrate Mrs. Letwin Rwodzi on Saturday, facing allegations of fraud. They were granted bail and are set to return to court on January 27.
According to Prosecutor Mr. Loveti Muringwa, the events began in February 2023 when the complainant came across a Facebook advertisement for Five Bulls Leisure, which presented itself as a registered travel agency.
Seeking a holiday package for eight people, the complainant visited the company’s offices in Belvedere, Harare, where Mudzonga and Tsvangira confirmed they could arrange the advertised trip. The package included a cruise from Durban, South Africa, through Mozambique, to Japan.
She was quoted US$12,377 for the cruise and an additional US$4,987 for air tickets, bringing the total to US$17,364.
Between February 12 and September 28, the complainant paid the full amount in six installments, with Tsvangira issuing receipts in the company’s name.
On September 28, she requested an update on her booking status and was directed to Mudzonga, who reassured her that the cruise had been successfully booked with MSC Cruise Ship Company. He promised to provide confirmation tickets and proof of payment shortly.
However, as the departure date of December 23 neared, only air tickets valued at US$4,987 were delivered, with no evidence of the cruise bookings.
When the complainant contacted MSC directly, she discovered that while some cruise bookings had initially been made, no payments were completed, leading to cancellations. Additionally, MSC disclosed that certain members of her group had never been booked at all.
MSC further informed her that the booking window had closed on November 20, making it impossible to salvage the planned trip.
It is alleged that the accused misused the funds for personal gain and became evasive when confronted, prompting the complainant to report the matter to the police.
The investigation culminated in the arrest of the accused and their court appearance.
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