The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure Senior Reporter
SIX toll collectors stationed at Rusape tollgate were this week arrested for allegedly tampering with the system to steal monies they would have collected as toll fees.
The six — Tsenesa Kudzayi (29) of Nyanga Drive Rusape, Caroline Tausa (28) of Jacaranda Drive Rusape, Lloyd Maridzirashe (36) of Jacaranda Drive Rusape, Prosper Makoni (34) of Magamba Rusape, Panetsa Humanikwa (47) of NHF Vengere Rusape and Brian Nyamutswa (32) of Mimosa Drive Rusape, were nabbed by officials from the criminal investigations Department (CID) on Tuesday after an official complaint from the route manager Wendlove Tsoka.
Manicaland police spokesman Assistant Inspector Luxson Chananda confirmed the six’s arrest, adding that the suspects were detained at ZRP Rusape Urban assisting detectives with investigations until their appearance in court yesterday afternoon. The six suspects’ lawyer Mr Taurai Khupe, of Khupe and Law Chambers, said his clients were denying the charges.
“I am representing five of the six suspects; they have been arrested on charges of fraud, and the details are still sketchy. I would be better informed after going through the State papers. They are denying the allegations,” he said.
Asst Insp Chananda said the offence was committed between March 27 and April 11, 2019 at Rusape tollgate.
“The six are toll collectors stationed at Rusape tollgate. They interfered with the system to steal and remit less amounts than they would have collected, to Intertoll Zimbabwe.
“There are trucks that the Zimbabwe National Road Authority (Zinara) classified at class six. These trucks should pay a toll fee of $10 each time they pass through the tollgate and that amount should be entered into the system and remitted as such to the Intertoll Zimbabwe.
“However, each time one of the six suspects was on duty, they would reclassify and downgrade the class six trucks to class five that pay $5. They would enter $5, instead of $10, into the system and share the balance with the truck drivers, prejudicing Intertoll Zimbabwe of the $5 they would have shared with the drivers,” said Asst Insp Chananda.
He said the six’s alleged fraudulent activities came to light after Tsoka received a tip-off from the motoring public and instituted investigations.
The internal investigations established that this was what has been happening. It could not be established when the scam started, and how much the road authority could have been cumulatively prejudiced, but on the day in question, the road authority had been defrauded $100.
It is alleged that the employees had no lawful right to take the money for personal or financial gain. Recently, Frank Tendai Mushonga from Gweru was arrested for allegedly defrauding the road authority $11 000.
Mushonga, the court heard, worked for the company since 2013, when he was a toll operator until he was later promoted to be a supervisor at the tollgate.
His duty among others was to receive money from toll collectors at Gweru South Intertoll Zimbabwe Tollgate and bank the money in NMB bank. The court heard that Mushonga collected money that had been collected by the toll operators from August 2017 to June 2018 in order to bank the money for the company.
Mushonga, the court heard, allegedly violated a trust agreement expected of him and deposited $38 000 in Gweru South Intertoll Zimbabwe Company’s bank account instead of $49 000 that was collected.
Mushonga pleaded not guilty to the charge.
