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Senior Court Reporter

TWO Zimbabwe United Passengers Company (ZUPCO) employees appeared in court yesterday on allegations of defrauding the public transport operator of cash through the ticketing system.

Simbarashe Karikoga and James Madziwa appeared at the Harare magistrates court charged with fraud.

They were all not asked to plead to the charges when they appeared before magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi who remanded them to June 24 on $2000 bail.

The State led by Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti alleges that on March 23 Madziwa was issued with a ticket book at their Belvedere offices for ticketing passengers on the Harare-Rushinga route.

Upon his turn from Rushinga, Madziwa returned the ticket book and signed for it.

It is alleged that on April 26 an audit was conducted and it was discovered that some of the pages were missing from the book he used while plying the Harare-Rushinga route.

Madziwa is alleged to have failed to explain how the pages went missing from the ticket book.

Karikoga was alleged to have been issued with a ticket book for the Harare-Chaona route. Upon returning from work, Karikoga returned the ticket book.

Madziwa allegedly defrauded his company of US$140.

An audit was carried out on April 26 and it was discovered that there were some missing pages from the ticket book.

He was questioned over the missing pages and failed to give an explanation as to how they went missing leading to his arrest.

ZUPCO reportedly lost $3 600.