A 27-year-old man was arrested after stealing money from 53 nurse aide students. He lied that he could secure them Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to work in the United Kingdom, a court heard on Monday.
Prosecutors say sometime in May this year, Mcdonald Takunda Pfende, of Piennar Road in Waterfalls, approached Blessing Gwengwe, an education and employment agent, and told him that he could secure CoS for his students.
“Pfende then asked Gwengwe to refer 53 applicants for the sponsorship and charged each applicant US$850,” the National Prosecuting Authority alleges.
Acting on the misrepresentation, Gwengwe collected US$46,000 from his students and sent the money to Pfende using two money transfer agencies – Mukuru and Access Forex.
Shortly after receiving the money, Pfende’s phone became unreachable and a police report was filed. Police failed to locate the elusive Pfende until last Saturday when Gwengwe, who had made it his life’s dedication to track down the alleged scammer, led police to a house where he was hosting a party.
In other news – Well-wishers raise US$3 000 for Sikhala’s medical needs
More than US$3 000 has been raised for incarcerated former Zengeza West legislator Job Sikhala’s medical needs. As of yesterday, £2 869 (US$3 490) had been raised against a target of £5 000 (US$6 079) since the fundraising campaign began on October 10.
The Go-Fund initiative was organised by Estelle Adams-Stone after NewsDay’s sister publication, The Standard, exclusively revealed that Sikhala’s health was deteriorating. Read More
