Kidney patient loses US$13 000 to EcoCash Agent
A 46-year-old Harare man, Tendai Chibwe, was brought to court yesterday for allegedly converting $13,000 in donations intended to cover his niece’s medical expenses abroad.
Chibwe, who is a registered EcoCash agent in Dzivarasekwa 4, is facing fraud charges after he allegedly cheated Nigel Makono, the uncle of the sick niece, Ruth Hwarara.
According to the prosecution, in January 2024, Makono’s niece fell ill and required an urgent kidney transplant surgery. Unable to afford the costs, Makono turned to social media to solicit donations from well-wishers.
The court heard that Makono received the donations in his personal EcoCash account and decided to liquidate the payment to continue receiving more donations, as his account had reached its limit.
On April 3rd, 2024, Makono visited Chibwe’s Econet shop at Thuli Service Station along Bulawayo Road in Dzivarasekwa 4, intending to cash out $6,000. Makono transferred the funds in batches, after being assured by Chibwe that the money was readily available.
However, after the transfer, Chibwe allegedly only gave Makono $500 in cash, contrary to his earlier assurance. Chibwe promised to return in 30 minutes, but Makono could not make the meeting as he had to rush to the hospital to attend to his niece.
The court heard that Makono later made additional transfers to Chibwe, bringing the total amount to $13,000. Chibwe only paid back a total of $1,100, and efforts to collect the remaining balance were unsuccessful as he became evasive.
Tendai Chibwe was remanded on $100 bail by Harare magistrate Mr. Simon Kandiyero until September 26th, 2024, pending the finalization of investigations. The total value of the stolen funds is $13,000, with only $1,100 recovered.
