HARARE – A man accused of committing a series of frauds before fleeing to South Africa has been arrested after returning to Zimbabwe to bury his father.
Bresley Mutungamiri Hove, 36, was nabbed on July 17 and released on bail only to be rearrested on fresh charges. He was again released on bail last Friday with stringent conditions.
Hove, of Preston Drive in Annex Park in Harare, faces over half-a-dozen fraud and theft charges.
The Harare Magistrates Court heard that sometime in April 2022, Hove, who is involved in the LPG gas industry, was approached by Danmore Mambondiani from the company Liquid Cargo who wanted to import a mobile gas tank from Turkey worth US$65,000.
After receiving the money, Hove allegedly promised to deliver the tank by October 2022 but had not done so by November when Mambondiani sought an update, the court heard.
Hove allegedly produced fraudulent documents to dupe Mambondiani into believing that his order was still coming.
Mambondiani finally shopped Hove to the police but investigators discovered that he had done a runner to South Africa.
On a second charge of theft, Hove – the director of a company called Alphas Gas based in Msasa – was given an LPG transport tanker for safe keeping by Chabvonga Ronald Musiiwa on April 27, 2021.
In September 2021, Musiiwa discovered that his tanker valued at US$100,000 was missing and called the police.
Investigators recovered the tanker from Danmore Mambondiani after Hove had sold it for US$25,000. Mambondiani showed detectives an agreement of sale between him and Hove.
A second suspect, John Henry Gould, described by prosecutors as “still at large”, is being sought in connection with the theft.
Prosecutors did not oppose bail for Hove, who was ordered to stay at the same residence; report to police three times a week; to surrender his passport and not to interfere with witnesses.
Investigators are preparing more charges against Hove.
Hove’s TV producer wife arrived in court in a white Mercedes Benz G-Wagon with South African number plates. The G-Wagon has a market value of R3 million (about US$166,000).
