Harare | Two Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) revenue clerks appeared in court yesterday for allegedly unlawfully installing a boom override system and collecting money for their personal use.
Tariro Mhuka (26) and Henderson Msowa (39) faced fraud allegations before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa.
They were each granted US$200 bail and remanded until November 30.
Zinara is the complaint, represented by Mr Tawanda Marenga, its risk and loss control manager.
They were both working out of Zinara’s Eskbank Tollgate on the Harare-Bindura route.
Some of their responsibilities included collecting income from motorists and remitting it to the senior revenue clerk at the end of the day.
Mr Pardon Dziva, the prosecutor, claimed that on July 18, the two conspired to steal from Zinara by exploiting a 10-10 Technologies (Private) Limited information system.
Zinara’s system is provided by the business 10-10 Technologies.
Mhuka and Msowa were reportedly cooperating with other Zinara personnel who were later arrested and prosecuted in court.
Others are still on the loose.
It is believed that after installing the illegal system that would bypass the normal operating system, the suspects collectively received tolling funds from motorists, claiming that the funds would be channelled to Zinara when, in fact, the funds would be converted to their own use.
According to the court, on July 20, the Zinara risk and loss control department uncovered the infraction through CCTV video and reported it to the police.
Investigations were launched, and it was discovered that the boom override installations were installed without Zinara’s knowledge or agreement, as well as without the knowledge of 10-10 Technologies.
On July 26, a team from CID Commercial Crimes visited 10-10 Technologies and determined that the installation of the boom override system at the Eskbank Tollgate had not been allowed.
The State also possesses CCTV footage of Mhuka and Msowa carrying out the crime.
Zinara has yet to ascertain the complete bias, and nothing has been retrieved thus yet.
