A founder of Tonelife Financial Investments, Tongai Mavhunduse, was yesterday charged with allegedly duping three customers of US$36 000.
This was after Siziwe Noah and two others who used to be workmates with Mavhunduse decided to join his investment scheme giving monthly interest of 15 percent of the premium invested after three months.
Mavhunduse appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi charged with three counts of fraud.
He was remanded in custody pending his bail application.
Prosecuting, Mr Zebediah Bofu alleged that on March 18, 2021, Ms Noah invested US$3 050 and was given an agreement form.
She was supposed to get interest of US$457, a month and they agreed that it was going to mature in December 2021.
Ms Noah in the same month also gave Mavhunduse another US$930 under the same conditions.
In both June and July 2021, Ms Noah received US$457 monthly as interest on her premium invested. In December 2021 when she was due to get her premiums back, she was told by Mavhunduse that they were some challenges on the server and she believed him.
So Ms Noah gave him another US$9 666 for investment with same conditions.
In June and July 2022, Ms Noah gave him another US$3 000 for investments and another US$7 000 in August 2022 for continuous investment.
In December 2022, Ms Noah wanted to collect her money that due, but was told that they were having challenges in accessing money from the servers.
Later in March this year, Ms Noah was told the same when she wanted to collect her money
Ms Noah lost US$27 646 in total and reported Mavhunduse to the police.
On the second count, Ms Noah gave Mavhunduse US$7 000 for investment on behalf of her lecturer Dorothy Homarume.
Mavhunduse promised to give her a scheme plan in April last year, but he never sent her a confirmation message and she realised that she had been duped.
On the last count, Tafadzwa Tagarira who is also a former workmate of Mavhunduse, in May this year invested US$1500 with him.
In June Mr Tagarira met Mavhunduse who gave him the interest of US$225.
So Mr Tagarira reinvested that. It was in July when Tagarira realised that he had been defrauded of US$1 775.
Source Zimbabwe Situation
