Praise Makombore (36), a former business unit manager for the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe Limited at the Mutoko Depot, appeared in court yesterday accused of stealing Presidential inputs worth US$42,120.
Makombore faced two counts of theft before Harare magistrate Mrs. Marehwanazvo Gofa and was released on US$200 bail.
The Cotton Company of Zimbabwe Limited, represented by Eunice Mupanduki, is the complainant.
According to the State, in 2023, Makombore, who was responsible for the Presidential inputs, conspired with Zinhle Ndlovu to steal fertilisers intended for distribution in Mutoko.
The court heard that Makombore allegedly claimed to have received instructions to release the fertilisers to farmers.
On August 23, 2023, Ndlovu instructed Moses Chibanda, a field assistant at Kotwa, to release 1,170 bags of 50kg fertilisers, falsely claiming to have received instructions from Makombore.
The fertilisers were collected by two trucks without the necessary documentation and taken to a warehouse in Murehwa where Makombore retrieved them on different occasions.
Makombore’s actions resulted in a loss of 1,170 bags of fertilisers valued at US$42,120 for Cottco, with nothing recovered.
In a separate charge, Makombore conducted business with Cottco at Mutoko Depot between February 2022 and June 2023 without disclosing her personal interests.
She arranged for vehicles to provide transportation services to Cottco using a transporter named Mutandiro, and it is alleged she received payments through her husband’s account.
