A Harare businesswoman fell victim to a scam involving $350,000 when her business associate secretly launched a competing venture similar to their joint enterprise.
Comfort Tanaka Gutu, the suspect, appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa and was granted bail of $500. Sibusisiwe Melody Mutendi is the complainant in the case.
According to court documents, Gutu and Mutendi agreed in 2021 to establish a pharmacy in Gokwe, with a partnership agreement formalizing their arrangement.
Mutendi was to finance the entire project but would receive a 49 percent ownership stake, while Gutu would hold 51 percent. Initially, Mutendi transferred $19,000 to Comfort Tanaka Gutu’s account to kickstart the business.
Although the venture initially thrived, it eventually faltered after three years. Additionally, Gutu allegedly misled Mutendi by falsely claiming that funds from the business had been used to settle taxes with ZIMRA, when in reality, no taxes were paid.
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As a result, Mutendi incurred an actual loss of $350,000, with no recovery made.
Further investigations by Mutendi revealed that Comfort Tanaka Gutu had clandestinely opened two competing pharmacies, Nu Centre and Afrihelp, in the same vicinity, without her consent or knowledge. These establishments drew stock from Medlife Pharmacy, effectively undermining its operations.
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