Ex-cricketer finally has day in court

Raymond Jaravaza
FORMER cricket player Dumisani Mankunzini was arraigned before a Bulawayo magistrates court charged with swindling a  woman from Bulawayo of R23 000.

Mankunzini was picked by police on Sunday last week, spent days in police cells, before he faced a magistrate on fraud charges.

He was granted $20 000 bail and he is expected back in court on 20 October.

B-Metro has in recent months carried articles chronicling how the ex-cricketer, who played for franchise side Tuskers, allegedly conned various individuals of money running into thousands of dollars in local currency as well as United States dollars and South African rands.

Some of his alleged victims include members of the Eagle Life Assembly led by Prophet Blessing Chiza and the latest “scam” involves a Bulawayo woman, Phindile Ncube, whom Mankunzini is accused of defrauding R23 000.

He allegedly received the money from Ncube after misrepresenting that he had transferred funds into her South African bank account and wanted hard cash to cover medical bills for his injured son.

In February 2020, a South African newspaper — The Star — reported how a victim lost close to R500 000 paying for Mankunzini’s accommodation, food and transport between September 2018 and February 2019.

The Joburg businessman allegedly funded Mankunzini’s trips to Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe after getting the emails from fictitious “ICC officials” who were named Riaan Naidoo, R Singh and Faith James in a botched deal.

The International Cricket Council then went on to announce that it had distanced itself from Mankunzini.

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