1 week Ago By [email protected] (Unknown)
The suspectGrace Makozho appeared before regional magistrate Donald Ndirowei, who remandedher in custody to today pending bail considerations. Makozho toldthe court that she has already been charged with the same facts and grantedbail in South Africa and the court ordered the State to verify the status ofthe status of the case. The court heardthat Makozho was employed by Access Forex as a clerk from July 2022 up to Marchlast year.
Her dutiesamong others were to receive calls from clients on behalf of the company andassist them. The court heardthat in April 2023, Makozho created ghost remittance accounts within thecompany’s system. She was workingin the same office with Liniet Maphosa, who was responsible for receiving fundsfrom clients for transfer and do the transfers.
It is allegedthat after creating ghost accounts bearing non-existence remitters, Makozhoused Liniet Maphosa’s credentials to log into the transfer system. She then usedthe ghost accounts to transfer various amounts from Access Forex South Africato 91 various recipients in Zimbabwe. Amongst the recipients were heraccomplices Dickson Gweshe and Sheperd Gweshe, who are still at large.
She would theninstruct the recipients to withdraw the money from Access Forex tellers inZimbabwe and to handover the cash to her. Makozho wouldallegedly drive from South Africa to Zimbabwe to collect the cash. During thetransfer no money would have been debited into Access Forex.
Makozhoallegedly transferred some of the money into her South African FNB accounts. In order toconceal the elicit origin of the money, she went on to use the money to acquirevarious properties. She furthertransferred some of the money she would have received from her recipients toSouth African FNB accounts so as to conceal the destination of the ill-gottenfunds in contravening Money Laundering and proceeds of crime act.
Access Forexdiscovered the offence after carrying an audit that is when they discoveredthat the accounts which were used to send the money from South Africa were fakeand do not exist within the system. Makozho wasarrested at her rural home in Chiredzi. Upon arrest she allegedly lied that shewas Milicent Kwangwari being a sister to Makozho, who was being sought, andthat Grace Makazho was in South Africa.
She was takento ZRP Masvingo Rural where she was further interviewed, and it was discoveredthat she had lied to the police after national identity card bearing her wasfound in her bag. Total valuestolen is US$322 510 and R650 000 and nothing was recovered. H Metro.
