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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
A Harare man employed by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) as an accounts clerk was in the habit of taking identity documents of targeted pensioners and using them to open bank accounts, prompting the authority to transfer pension funds into the dubious accounts, the court heard yesterday. Delight Chimedza (32) would then withdraw the money and convert it to his personal use. He reportedly diverted $8 965 which belonged to Kaurai Dzingirai and Eddar Chimutsa and used part of the money to buy a vehicle — a Honda Fit.

Chimedza yesterday appeared before Ms Barbra Chimboza, charged with fraud and was remanded to April 4 on $200 bail. The prosecutor Ms Linda Gadzikwa alleged that between January 15 and February 5 this year, Chimedza kept pensioners claim forms in his office and Dzingirai claimed his pension from NSSA.

Dzingirai supplied his POSB Bank account number to NSSA and his pension amounting to $4 525 was transferred into his account on January 11.

Chimedza checked Dzingirai’s forms and established that the pension had been successfully processed and he allegedly accessed Dzingirai’s identity particulars and fraudulently opened a Steward Bank account in Dzingirai’s name.

It is the State’s case that Chimedza then pasted Dzingirai’s payment sheet purporting that he (Dzingirai) had directed his pension to be transferred to the Steward Bank account

Acting on the misrepresentation, NSSA transferred the $4 525 into the Steward Bank account.

Chimedza allegedly withdrew the money and bought a Honda Fit at Biggame Motors for $4 400.

It was further alleged that during the same period, another pensioner Chimutsa received a message from POSB that his account had been debited $4 540 from NSSA as pension benefits. Using the same method, Chimedza reportedly accessed Chimutsa’s identity particulars and got a certified copy of his national identity card and used it to open another Steward Bank account.

It was alleged that Chimedza again changed Chimutsa’s payment sheet to read that he had directed that part of his pension be transferred to the Steward Bank account.

Due to the misrepresentation, NSSA processed another $4 540 for Chimutsa and transferred it into the account opened by Chimedza at Steward Bank.

Chimedza withdrew the money and converted it to his personal use.