A 48-year-old chef from Victoria Falls has been remanded in custody after admitting that he fabricated a robbery report to conceal the loss of US$2,200 belonging to a community savings group.
Elias Ncube, of Mkhosana suburb, appeared before the Victoria Falls Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty to supplying false information to a public official, an offence under Section 180(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The court heard that Ncube had been entrusted with money collected by a local stokvel — commonly referred to as mukando or ukutshayelana — and was expected to keep the funds safe on behalf of the group. Instead, he admitted to losing the entire amount at a betting shop around 18 December 2025.
In an effort to avoid accounting for the missing funds, Ncube reported to the police on the same day, claiming he had been robbed. His report prompted the opening of a formal case, which was subsequently handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department for further investigation.
Prosecutor Daphney Ntini told the court that investigators soon discovered the claim was false. She explained that after visiting the alleged crime scene and conducting interviews, Ncube’s wife, Angela Chuma, disclosed that the money had been gambled away rather than stolen.
Following the revelation, Ncube was arrested and charged with making a false report to the police — an offence the State said unnecessarily drains law enforcement resources and disrupts genuine crime investigations.
During proceedings, Ncube expressed remorse, telling the court that embarrassment and pressure over losing the stokvel money drove him to invent the robbery story.
Magistrate Linda Dzvene remanded Ncube in custody and ordered the preparation of a pre-sentencing report. He is expected to return to court on Wednesday for sentencing, after consideration of both mitigating and aggravating circumstances.
