THE trial of a former Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) finance director Perpetual Joy Ndekwere, accused of swindling the institution of $6 000 through an alleged double claim, commenced at the Harare Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER
Ndekwere (52) is alleged to have made a double claim of the $6 000 she paid to the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) in subscriptions on behalf of ZOU from her own coffers.
The State’s key witness ZOU vice-chancellor Primrose Kurasha told the court that she reported the matter of the missing cash to the police and requested them to investigate the case.
This, she said, was done after an audit which was carried out at ZOU following an anonymous letter that had been forwarded to the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education accusing her office, the finance director and the registrar of maladministration.
Kurasha said after receiving the letter, the institution’s council instructed investigations to be carried out since the issue of double claims by Ndekwere’s office had been raised although she [Kurasha] was not aware of who was alleged to have committed the offence.
Kurasha further said she was personally not aware of what transpired in the alleged double claim for which Ndekwere was charged, but had only played a part in referring the matter to the police for further investigations.
Former ZOU finance manager Kingstone Manyonganise told provincial magistrate Elijah Makomo that Ndekwere claimed the said refund twice.
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Manyonganise said as the finance manager, he was asked by Ndekwere to prepare for her a refund of the cash she had paid to ZIMCHE after presenting receipts to him.
Manyonganise added that after receiving the initial refund in January 2011, Ndekwere, through her personal assistant Sithokozile Mangena, made another request for a refund in March claiming she had used the initial refund for ZOU’s business again.
This time, Manyonganise said, Ndekwere did not inform him of her request, but used Mangena who then signed for the cash from the cashier after a cash handover form was generated instead of the usual requisition which was supposed to be accompanied by receipts or invoices.
Trial continues today.
