Zimpapers Logo

Tafadzwa Zimoyo Senior Court Reporter—

A Highfield self-proclaimed traditional healer was yesterday sentenced to perform 210 hours of community service at Machipisa Police Station for extortion and fraud.

John Mbaisa (24) appeared before Mrs Nomsa Sabarauta and was slapped with 18 months imprisonment of which six were suspended as he is a first offender, while the remaining 12 were suspended on condition that he repays the $4 853 he owes.

The remaining six months were suspended on condition that he performs the community service.

He will begin his community service on February 4.

In passing the sentence, Mrs Sabarauta said she found Mbaisa guilty of contravening the Criminal Law Act (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

The prosecutor Mr Lovemore Siamunda told the court that sometime in May last year, Ms Takunda Nyengerayi saw an advert in H-Metro newspaper dated February 2, 2016, where Dr Aklan (Mbaisa) claimed he could assist people in securing employment.

According to the advert, if one sent Mbaisa $100 via EcoCash, he could secure them a job in two days. Ms Nyengerayi did not get the employment as indicated by Mbaisa after she gave him the money. She later phoned him and he threatened that he would kill her mother if she continued demanding a refund.

It was the States’ case that Mbaisa then demanded another $500 so that he would not kill Ms Nyengerayi’s mother and she complied. He continued to threaten her, resulting in Ms Nyengerayi losing about $4 143 via EcoCash. Ms Nyengerayi later realised she had been duped and reported the matter to the police.