Fraud trial of cop kicks off

By The NewsDay | Sep. 6, 2014 | 2 Min read

THE trial of a police officer who successfully applied for a job as a security guard with the Zimbabwe Open University and earned over $8 000 during a period of 16 months while he was still in the police force opened in Harare yesterday.

The university’s chief security officer Cuthbert Masarirambi told the court that the accused, Tongai Manomano (32), misrepresented to the interview panel that he was no longer a member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).

The court heard that Manomano, who is charged with fraud as defined in section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23, wrote in his application letter that he was qualified for the job after having worked for the police for seven and a half years.

It is alleged that he indicated in his application that he was still in the force, but on three months’ leave pending resignation.

He was offered a job on September 4 2012, as a contract security guard working shifts at the university’s three branches in Harare at Stanley House, Michael Court and Bryanston House.

Manomano told the court that in October 2012, the university placed an internal advert looking for permanent security guards who were former members of the army, police or prison services and the accused person responded on November 13 2012, after which he was subsequently invited for an interview.

On December 11 2012, the court heard, he was interviewed by a panel that included Masarirambi and was subsequently offered a permanent job. He worked as a permanent security guard for ZOU for 16 months earning a salary of $555 per month until March 24 2014 when the human resources department discovered that he was still employed by the ZRP.

On March 27, he resigned from the ZOU job after having earned a total of $8 800, prompting the chief security officer to report the matter to the police.