Midlands Correspondent

THREE members of the Kwekwe Primary School Development Committee have been dragged before Kwekwe Magistrate’s court for allegedly swindling the institution  of US$3 216.

The trio include chairperson Garikai Mbira (41), treasurer Alex Mwafumbika (41) and committee member Daniel Muzenda (44).

Kwekwe Magistrate Mr Taurai Manwere remanded them to 2 July 2012, on US$100 bail each.

The three, who are represented by Kwekwe lawyer Mr James Magodora of Magodora and Partners, pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

The State opposed bail. Mr Magodora argued that the three had handed over themselves to the police and were not a flight risk.

As part of their bail conditions, the accused were ordered to reside at their given addresses, not to interfere with State witnesses and not to visit Kwekwe Primary School until the matter has been concluded by the courts.

The State led by Mr Salome Maunganidze alleged that the three who were entrusted with school funds defrauded the institution after inflating figures on purchases of construction material they bought.

On the first incident, the three are alleged to have bought cement worth US$3 150 from Shereketo Hardware on 31 May 2012 but went on to represent that they had purchased the cement for US$3 450.

They also bought bricks at Summit Distributors for US$1 224 but forged the figure to read US$1 530.

The court heard that on yet another incident the accused went on to buy 5 800 bricks for US$4 640 and allegedly inflated the figure to US$7 250.

The arrest of the three school development committee members comes barely a year after the headmaster of the same institution, Mr Godfrey Machayaya, was arrested in connection with fraud involving US$1 200.