MOPANI – A Malawian citizen, Martin Alberto (50), briefly appeared in the Mhlala magistrate’s court last Wednesday on a charge of fraud. The case relates to an incident that took place at the Thulamahashe shopping centre on June 16 last year.

According to the spokesperson of the police in the Mopani area, Const Sylvia Hlungwane, a certain Mr Calvin Ntsinyane (37), who works in Johannesburg, went to a furniture shop to buy some goods on credit towards the end of last month.

He paid in a certain amount as a deposit for the goods and was promised that his goods would be delivered at his home within three days. Three days went by and, after two weeks, Ntsinyane decided to go and make a follow-up at the shop.

That was when he was told that his account had been disapproved on the basis that he was blacklisted. He was told that his name had been sent to the credit bureau as he was still owing Ellerines Furnishers an amount R10 357 and Louhen Financial Services an amount of R1 300.

As this was news to him, Ntsinyane went to the Mhlala branch of Ellerines Furnishers, where his account was said to have been opened. When he arrived at the store, they showed him a copy of the identity document that had been used to open an account at the store. To his surprise, the photograph that was on the copy of the identity document was not his.

That prompted him to proceed to the Mhlala police station, where he opened a case of fraud. Upon investigation, the police arrested Alberto and charged him with fraud. He was not asked to plead when he appeared in court last Wednesday. He was granted bail of R1 500, which he failed to pay. The case was postponed to July 26.

Alberto was working at Mhlala Score Supermarket at the time of his arrest.