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Sukoluhle Ndlovu Midlands Correspondent
Two Cottco clerks in Gokwe have been arrested after they allegedly stole 30 tonnes of fertiliser allocated under Command Agriculture and sold the loot in Harare.

Ropafadzo Mucheli (20) and Darlington Senan (35), who are both employed as inputs clerks at Cottco in Gokwe, appeared before Gokwe magistrate Christopher Maturure charged with fraud and theft last week.

They both pleaded guilty to the charges and were remanded in custody to this Thursday for sentencing.

It is the State’s case against the two that on October 7, 2017, they connived with three other accomplices, Holines Murefu, a Cottco stock controller at Nemangwe Depot, Norman Ariferi, who is a manager at Nemangwe Cottco Depot and Laina Charuma, who are still at large, to steal from Cottco. They dispatched two trucks which had 15 tonnes of fertiliser each to Ngani Cottco depot under Chief Nemangwe. Together with their accomplices, they diverted the two trucks to Tagarika tuckshops in Harare where they sold the loot to Jesca Msekiwa and Richard Chirimba. Mucheli then entered in her stock cards that she had received 30 tonnes of fertiliser, yet the consignment was not delivered at the depot.

Senan also entered in his books that he had received 30 tonnes of fertiliser and had dispatched all the fertiliser to various farmers.

Police got a tip-off and investigations later traced the loot to Harare and all the fertiliser was recovered.

Mr Tineyi Tirigo represented the State.