By Simba Matake
A 25-year-old Mutare woman has been sentenced to an effective two years in prison after defrauding her employer, Dollar Pantry, of US$16,241.05 through the falsification of daily cash sales records.
Michellene Muzenda was convicted by the Mutare Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of manipulating cash sales records during her employment as a supervisor at the retail business.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the offence was committed between November 5, 2025 and March 17, 2026, when Muzenda allegedly falsified daily cash sales figures recorded in the company’s cash book.
The court heard that the figures she recorded did not correspond with the sales reflected in the business’s automated teller machine records, resulting in a financial loss of US$16,241.05.
The fraud was uncovered on March 17, 2026, when the employer directed supervisors to reconcile recorded daily cash sales against automated teller machine records.
The exercise revealed discrepancies, prompting further investigations and a forensic audit of cash variances at the company’s CBD and Branch B outlets covering the period from November 2025 to March 2026.
Investigations subsequently established that Muzenda had falsified the sales records.
Police recovered US$700 in cash, while further investigations led to the recovery of various goods from her shop at Tinmark Mall in Mutare, which had been purchased using proceeds from the fraud.
Muzenda was initially sentenced to six years in prison, with two years suspended for five years. A further two years were suspended on condition that she restitutes the money, leaving her with an effective two-year prison term.
In a statement, the NPAZ welcomed the conviction and sentencing, warning employees against engaging in fraudulent activities.
“The NPAZ welcomes the conviction and sentencing of the offender, which demonstrates that fraud and theft by employees will not be tolerated. The Authority reminds members of the public that those who commit fraud will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” the Authority said.