MUTARE — A 25-year-old woman who defrauded her employer of more than US$16,000 to finance her own retail business has been sentenced to an effective two years in prison.
Michellene Muzenda, of Hobhouse One in Mutare, was sentenced to six years in prison by regional magistrate Anne Ndiraya on Tuesday.
Two years were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour, while another two years were suspended on condition that she makes restitution.
Muzenda was employed as a supervisor by local businesswoman Nomsa Chave-Chiadzwa, with responsibilities that included collecting cash from automated teller machine operators, reconciling daily sales and maintaining financial records.
She also controlled access to a safe where daily cash collections were kept.
The fraud came to light in March 2026 after Chave-Chiadzwa ordered an audit of cash sales at two of her shops.
Another supervisor, Tendai Chitambirofa, discovered numerous discrepancies in records maintained by Muzenda, while an audit conducted by Muzenda herself reported no irregularities.
The matter was reported to police, leading to her arrest and the recovery of US$700 in cash.
On March 20, Muzenda led detectives to her shop at Tinmac Mall in Mutare, where police recovered merchandise believed to have been acquired using proceeds of the fraud.
The recovered goods included dresses, jeans, handbags, perfumes, shoes, underwear, towels and teddy bears.
Investigators also subjected her iPhone 13 to forensic examination at the Zimbabwe Republic Police Cyber Laboratory.
A subsequent forensic audit, covering transactions between November 2025 and March 2026, established that Muzenda had falsified daily cash sales records to conceal discrepancies between recorded sales and ATM data.
Prosecutor Chris Munyuku told the court that the fraud had prejudiced the employer of US$16,241.05, with an additional US$400 worth of merchandise involved.
Muzenda will serve two years behind bars, provided she complies with the conditions attached to the suspended portions of her sentence.
