By Takudziridzwa Nyama
Patricia Muyambo Magazini has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for defrauding aspiring nursing students of over $40,020 by falsely promising them training vacancies at Mashoko Hospital.She was convicted by Chipinge Magistrate Court.
Court proceedings state that Magazini falsely presented herself as an employee of the Ministry of Health stationed at Mashoko Hospital. She would contact potential victims, sometimes through intermediaries, offering the opportunity for enrollment in training programs.
In one instance, she contacted a prophetess claiming to be grateful for past prayers and used this connection to offer the fraudulent training opportunity.
Magazini would then request money from the victims, purportedly for training expenses, accommodation, and uniforms. These payments were made through various money transfer methods such as Mojomula, Innbucks, Mukuru, and Ecocash.
She received the money from the complainants. In some cases, intermediaries were used to collect and consolidate payments from multiple individuals.
To maintain the deception, the accused would make false promises, such as claiming that the victims’ names would be published in official publications like the Herald and Sunday Mail.
When victims began to question the legitimacy of the scheme, the offender would make excuses and provide false reassurances. The scheme was carried out over a period of time, with different counts relating to different groups of victims and timeframes.