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Fungai Lupande Court Reporter
Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe chief executive Manuel Nyawo and public relations officer Michael Kosana have appeared in court again on fresh charges of swindling US$16 000 after deducting US$8 each on salaries of 2 000 teachers who were not members of their union. Kosana (44) and Nyawo (43) appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe facing fraud charges.

The complainants in the matter are 2 000 teachers who had their salaries deducted in June last year and yet they were not members of TUZ.
Nyawo and Kosana were granted US$200 bail and are expected back in court on May 19.

Prosecutor Mr Farai Gatsi alleged that during the month of May last year the accused connived with Catherine Chiweshe and Simon Tavengwa (still at large) and proceeded to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education headquarters located at Ambassador House in Harare.

They took with them lists of teachers who had been deployed to various schools that had been posted on notice boards.
They allegedly compiled the list on a disk and took it to the Salary Services Bureau for deductions to be effected on the salaries.
However, the teachers had been recently deployed and had not yet joined TUZ.

Each teacher had US$8 deducted from their salary, prejudicing them of US$16 000. The matter was reported to the police leading to the pair’s arrest.

Early April this year the pair appeared in court facing charges of defeating or obstructing justice after allegedly denying police access to financial documents linked to the alleged misuse of US$563 623 meant for a housing project.