Two employees of Mukuru have been brought before court on charges of money laundering and fraud, accused of embezzling US$100,000 from their employer. Bessie Mbiro, aged 35, and Tinotenda Ranganwa, aged 31, appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi on Thursday. They were each granted bail of US$500, and the case was adjourned until August 20. Representing them was Moses Nyatsoma.
According to the prosecution, in October 2023, Mbiro and Ranganwa collaborated with accomplices who remain at large to create multiple accounts with Send Money Home, operating as Mukuru, using stolen IDs and driver’s licenses. They allegedly advertised fictitious parcels from overseas, soliciting payments for agent fees via Mukuru’s platform from unwitting victims.
Mbiro purportedly provided order numbers via her mobile phone and the IDs of the accounts to which money was transferred, allegedly controlled by Ranganwa. Court documents indicate Ranganwa then withdrew the funds using the stolen IDs provided by Mbiro, sharing the proceeds with her.
The prosecution further states that Mukuru’s compliance officers became suspicious on June 7, 2024, upon observing questionable activity at Ranganwa’s workstation. Subsequent searches uncovered four suspicious identity cards, which investigations revealed were used in illegal transactions since December 2023. CCTV footage purportedly captured Ranganwa conducting these transactions solo and discreetly concealing the proceeds.
The case underscores allegations of a sophisticated scheme involving identity theft and financial fraud within the Mukuru system.
In other news – Chimombe and Mpofu to remain in custody for another day
Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, members of the ZANU-PF central committee, faced another day in custody following their bail hearing in Harare, which was adjourned without conclusion. The proceedings are set to continue before magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa on Friday.
Chimombe and Mpofu are accused of defrauding the government of US$7 million under the Presidential Goat Pass-on Scheme, launched in 2021 to uplift impoverished households across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces. Read More
