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Court Reporter

Platinum Resources director, Onesimo Ndoro (48), yesterday appeared at the Harare Magistrates Courts charged with defrauding another company of R3 million after claiming that he was in a partnership with Zesa Holdings, which he was helping to clear its debt with Eskom of South Africa.

Ndoro of Waterfalls, Harare, was not asked to plead to the charges when he appeared before magistrate Barbra Mateko charged with fraud.

Magistrate Mateko remanded him to September 16, 2020 on $10 000 bail.

Ndoro stands accused of defrauding a private company, Stroll Creations.

The State, led by Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa, had it that sometime in December 2019, the director of Stroll Creations was introduced to Ndoro by Brian Gavaza, a business associate.

After the introduction, Ndoro hatched a plan to defraud Stroll Creations and told its director that he was a representative of Platinum Resources in the partnership with ZESA whereby they were assisting the power utility to settle its debt with Eskom.

Ndoro allegedly asked Stroll Creations whether they had offshore free funds in South Africa, which they could transfer into Eskom’s bank accounts.

He also said they would pay him the equivalent in local currency.

Ndoro is alleged to have given Stroll Creations director an FNB Bank account purporting it to be Eskom’s. Acting on the said misrepresentation, Stroll Creations instructed its business partner in South Africa, Stephen Baker to transfer R3 million into the FNB Bank account.

After depositing the money, Ndoro allegedly started avoiding the director of Stroll Creations, which prompted him to approach ZESA.

It is said that Stroll Creations engaged ZESA Holdings board chairman Dr Sydney Gata, who refuted having any business connections with Ndoro and his Platinum Resources company.

Dr Gata is also said to have disowned the FNB Bank account, which prompted Stroll Creations to lodge a complaint with the police leading to Ndoro’s arrest.

In 2018, Ndoro appeared in court in Bulawayo after duping another company using the same modus operandi.

Ndoro appeared before magistrate Ms Ratidzo Ringisayi after he allegedly teamed up with Archibald Chiponda and misrepresented to Pump and Steel Company that they could facilitate a foreign currency allocation from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to assist the company in paying for imports.