Chipinge woman jailed 12 years for defrauding job seekers
A CHIPINGE woman has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for defrauding desperate job seekers of money amounting to US$40,020.
Patricia Muyambo Magazini was convicted by the Chipinge Magistrate Court on 9 counts of fraud after she had promised nurse training vacancies to the job seekers at Mashoko Hospital.
The National Prosecuting Authority said, Magazini would contact potential job seekers and request money for training, accommodation and uniforms.
“The accused falsely presented herself as an employee of the Ministry of Health stationed at Mashoko Hospital. She would contact potential victims, sometimes through intermediaries, offering the opportunity for enrollment in training programs.
“In one instance, she contacted a prophetess claiming to be grateful for past prayers and used this connection to offer the fraudulent training opportunity. The offender would then request money from the victims, purportedly for training expenses, accommodation, and uniforms.
“These payments were made through various money transfer methods such as Mojomula, Innbucks, Mukuru, and Ecocash,” said the prosecution.
Furthermore, Magazini would promise the victims that their names would be published in state-run newspapers for confirmation of enrollment.
“The offender received the money from the complainants. In some cases, intermediaries were used to collect and consolidate payments from multiple individuals. To maintain the deception, the accused would make false promises, such as claiming that the victims’ names would be published in official publications like the Herald and Sunday Mail.
“When victims began to question the legitimacy of the scheme, the offender would make excuses and provide false reassurances. The scheme was carried out over a period of time, with different counts relating to different groups of victims and timeframes.”
Magazini got a 10-year suspension on the condition of good behaviour and restitution, and will only serve 2 years in prison. NewZimbabwe
