Staff Reporter
GWERU — A Nando’s till operator has been convicted of defrauding her employer of more than US$15,000 by manipulating the company’s point-of-sale system to create fictitious swipe transactions.
Cynthia Jongwe (28), of Jairos Jiri Road, Riverside, Gweru, was convicted of fraud by the Gweru Magistrates’ Court after she allegedly processed payments through Nando’s Gweru POS machines when no corresponding funds were received.
Jongwe was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment, with five months suspended on condition of good behaviour, 24 months suspended on condition of restitution, and 11 months suspended on condition that she performs 380 hours of community service.
The fraud was uncovered during an internal audit when the company’s audit team examined Jongwe’s swipe transactions and discovered that the purported transactions had no corresponding records.
The relevant banks were subsequently contacted, and bank statements confirmed that the funds had not been received by Nando’s Gweru.
The company suffered a financial loss of US$15,482.75, with nothing recovered.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe stated that the conviction and sentence underscore the consequences of abusing a position of trust and manipulating financial systems to unlawfully deprive an employer of funds.
