By Staff Reporter
Three Harare men, including Tendai Mashamhanda, appeared in court on Monday, facing fraud charges involving counterfeit documents used to acquire solar equipment worth US$41,172 from a local company.
The accused is the nephew of businessman Alex Mashamanda, also known as Mashwede.
Mashamhanda was charged alongside Ngoni Sabawu and Sam Tinashe Muyandi.
The trio appeared before Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa, who granted them bail of US$200 each.
They are set to return to court on July 15.
The complainant in the case is Caplaw Enterprises Private Limited, represented by General Manager Michael Steven.
According to the State, on April 16, 2025, the accused, led by a fugitive accomplice, Thomas Karonga, approached Caplaw Enterprises with a counterfeit purchase order.
The document falsely claimed that they had been authorised by Energy Park Fuels to procure solar systems for installation at Energy Park Service Stations nationwide.
To bolster their deception, the accused arranged a site visit to the Energy Park Service Station in Mbare, showing the complainant the location where the solar systems were purportedly to be installed.
On May 22, Sabawu, Karonga, and another accomplice, Tawanda Chipembere (also still at large), reportedly hired a truck at Mbare Musika. They then collected seven sets of 15 KVA solar systems valued at US$41,172 from Caplaw Enterprises, claiming they were destined for the Energy Park Mbare site.
The scam unravelled on May 27 when Caplaw Enterprises representatives visited Energy Park Service Station to verify the installation of the solar systems.
They discovered that Energy Park had not ordered solar equipment and that the purchase order was fake.
Reviewing the company’s CCTV footage revealed Sabawu, his Mazda Demio vehicle, and his accomplices conducting the fraudulent transactions.
Following a police report and subsequent investigations, Sabawu, Muyandi, and Mashamhanda were arrested.
Two solar panels were recovered from Muyandi during the arrests, but the majority of the stolen equipment remains missing.
Caplaw Enterprises suffered a financial loss of US$41 172, with only US$200 worth of stolen property recovered to date.
