Former Zesa Employee In Court For Fraud

A FORMER ZESA Holdings employee was yesterday arraigned before Harare Magistrate Dennis Mangosi on a charge of defrauding the power utility of US$ 20,456.

Joseph Wagusiwa (39) was granted US$200 bail and the case was remanded to 1 December 2023. The complainant in the matter is ZESA Holdings represented by Bodwell Masakadza, a forensic and loss control officer.

Prosecutor Thomas Chanakira alleged that between January 2018 and March 2021, Wagusiwa and his alleged accomplice, Darlington Chiputura, manipulated the firm’s credit systems and created fraudulent credits to ZESA Holdings clients for electricity tokens.

In January 2018, Wagusiwa allegedly advertised on social media that he was selling electricity tokens, and 242 clients purchased the tokens.

It is alleged that Wagusiwa gave Chiputura electricity meter numbers of the clients and he supplied them with electricity tokens. State papers indicate that Chiputura used his EcoCash number to buy electricity tokens for the clients.

The court heard that Wagusiwa would then supply ZESA Holdings with amounts less than the value of the tokens. The matter was uncovered by the complainant following an audit by Grant Thornton Forensic Auditors.