By Judith Nyuke
TWO Harare men who defrauded Dynamos Football Club chairman Vincent Chawonza in a business deal and stole over US$6 000 in cash have been jailed for one year.
The pair, Kenneth Nyalugwe and Kennedy Chiwara, were convicted of concealing a transaction from a principal and theft of trust property.
On the first count, they were sentenced to two years in prison, with one year suspended for five years on the condition of good behavior.
On the second count, they received a three-year sentence, with one year suspended for good behavior and another suspended on the condition that they reimburse the complainant US$6,000.
The remaining one-year sentences from both counts will run concurrently, meaning the duo will serve an effective one-year prison term.
Nyalugwe was employed as an administrator and Chiwara as a workshop manager at Chawonza’s company. However, the duo used their employer’s resources to start their own side business, targeting Chawonza’s clients and cost the company over US$6 000 in revenue.
The State proved that on July 10, 2025, Nyalugwe prepared a US$6,468 quotation on behalf of Chawonza’s company, Open Gold Enterprises, for door cappings requested by a client, Superlinx Logistics.
Four days later, Nyalugwe used the company printer to generate a rival quotation under the name of a different firm, Fosterwell Investments.
Chawonza discovered the document was being sent to Superlinx Logistics, offering his own company’s products for a discounted US$5,000.
Chawonza ordered Nyalugwe to hand over his company laptop, which was inspected by IT personnel in his presence. The IT expert discovered a folder containing seven rival quotations under Fosterwell Investments.
When questioned, the duo walked out on their jobs. Chiwara refused to answer phone calls or surrender the storeroom keys. A subsequent stocktake revealed that 100 five-meter door cappings were missing from the storeroom under Chiwara’s control.
Investigations proved that Nyalugwe had been secretly supplying these products to Superlinx Logistics under the Fosterwell name.
Ultimately, Open Gold Enterprises suffered a total loss of US$6,468.75 because the employees were actively competing against the company while still drawing a salary from it.
