An employee who worked as a supervisor at Matsamo Total Filling Station has appeared before the Pigg’s Peak Magistrate’s Court after allegedly stealing and gambling E10 000 belonging to his employer.
The accused, Luyanda Ngwenya of Nkambeni, was charged with theft and chose to conduct his own defence before Magistrate Nkosingiphile Maseko. He pleaded guilty when the charges were read.
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According to the charge sheet, Ngwenya unlawfully stole money amounting to E10 000, which was in the lawful possession of his employer, Simodeni Thoko Dlamini.
Testimony
Dlamini told the court how she discovered the missing funds. She explained that on August 11, she received a call from one of the cashiers, Tandzi Mhlanga, who reported that the day’s cash was short by E10 000 but later said the amount had been balanced.
“I instructed the security guard to lock the office where the cash was stored and not to open it until I arrived the following morning,” she said.
The next day, Dlamini arrived at the filling station at 6am and handed over the cash to Cash Securities. However, a local businesswoman who operates a Mobile Money spaza shop next to Matsamo Filling Station arrived with her employee and the police.
Spaza Shop Money
“The woman informed me that E10 000 was missing from her business and that her employee claimed the money had been borrowed by the supervisor, Ngwenya,” Dlamini testified.
She added that when Ngwenya was confronted, he admitted taking the money from the spaza shop to cover the filling station’s missing funds.
“I ordered him to return the money he had taken through the cash from the station,” she said.
Dlamini later reported the matter at Matsamo Police Post. She further testified that Ngwenya confessed to using the filling station’s money for gambling on Aviator.
The case was postponed to next Tuesday when the prosecutor is expected to call the second witness.
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