A 30-YEAR OLD Harare man, Kurai Mauwa, who had been a fugitive from justice for five years after swindling Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) of $46 000, was this week slapped with a six-year jail term after pleading guilty to the offence.
BY CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER
Immediately after duping RTG in July 2009, Mauwa skipped the border and crossed the Limpopo River into South Africa only to return in January this year and was arrested in Avondale, Harare.
Mauwa will, however, spend a three-year effective jail term after a year was suspended on condition of good behaviour and two years on condition that he restitutes RTG in the sum of $46 000 before the end of this month.
Mauwa’s lawyer Blessing Nyamwanza has since filed an application for bail pending appeal against sentence at the High Court.
During the period in question, Mauwa was the director of the now defunct Homes for Africa Real Estate when he was consulted by RTG through Tapiwa Mari to sell its property at 8 Combermount Close in Borrowdale for $95 000.
A month later, Mauwa successfully sold the property to Modern Security managing director Shepherd Zvarivadza whereupon an agreement of sale was drafted and signed by the two parties after payment of the purchase price.
However, after receiving the cash, Mauwa remitted $49 000 to RTG and pocketed the remainder after which he advised his client that the buyer had made a part payment of the property.
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But in February 2010, Zvarivadza approached RTG with proof of full payment demanding to know the causes of delay in transferring the property into his name. It was at that juncture that RTG became aware that Mauwa had converted $46 000 to his personal use and the matter was reported to the police, but Mauwa had already skipped border.
The fugitive’s luck ran out in January this year when police received information to the effect that he had secured employment at Trustlink Real Estate in Avondale leading to his arrest.
