A WOMAN from Matsheumhlope in Bulawayo has been arraigned before the courts facing seven counts of fraud involving a total of US$25 900.
Buhlebenkosi Ndlovu (40) appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Dambudzo Malunga and pleaded guilty to the charge.
She was remanded in custody to today.
Nomaswazi Tshabalala, one of the complainants, told the court that she met Ndlovu at Bulawayo Centre and the fraudster told her that she and her associates were assisting people with opportunities to go abroad.
“Ndlovu told me I needed to pay US$4 000. She then guided me through the entire process,” Tshabalala said.
She said after completing the initial processes, she was scheduled for an interview but network connection was disrupted during the interview.
Tshabalala contacted Ndlovu and was assured that everything will be okay.
She revealed that she paid the amount to a person identified as Dr Bongani Mguni, who was said to be working in partnership with Ndlovu at Bulawayo Centre.
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“He gave me a printed receipt and we both signed it,” Tshabalala said.
She later underwent a tuberculosis test in Harare as part of the process, but was unable to contact Ndlovu or Mguni after the trip.
Another complainant, Lubelihle Ngwenya (30), told the court that she came across a flyer near Bulawayo Centre advertising travel opportunities abroad.
After contacting Ndlovu and Mguni, she was invited to office 101, where she was informed that a certificate of sponsorship (COS) for the UK would cost US$6 000 and took three to four months to process.
“I initially paid US$2 000. Later, after pressure from Ndlovu via my mother, I paid another US$2 000. I eventually paid the full US$6 000 but was never issued a receipt for the final payment and never received the COS,” she said.
Ngwenya said the experience left her depressed and financially strained, having sold her car to raise the money, adding that she lost US$7 000.
The court heard that between October 2022 and May 2023, Ndlovu and her partner, Mguni, who is still at large, allegedly duped seven individuals by claiming that they can assist people to travel abroad.
The total amount involved in the fraud is US$25 900 and none of the victims recovered their money.
