By A Correspondent- A teacher who duped a woman of R35 000 and US$1 050 in a botched building material deal ran out of luck and has been convicted of his crime.

A court heard that at a date not known to the prosecutor but in May last year Zenzile Mahlangu (38) was introduced to Mzokhulu Ncube (45), a teacher at Eastview High School in Bulawayo by her pastor.

The court heard the pastor told Mahlangu that Ncube could help her get building material as she was constructing a house in Trenance suburb.

Mahlangu embraced the idea which resulted in her and Ncube meeting at her flat in the city centre.

Representing the State, Hardlife Mhaka said:

“Mahlangu allegedly gave Mzokhulu US$1 050 for the purchase of window panes and door frames for her house which is under construction in Trenance suburb,” he said.

The court heard that Ncube allegedly squandered the money and told the unsuspecting Mahlangu that he was waiting for an order from South Africa.

In April last year he allegedly phoned Mahlangu and asked for a second payment saying he wanted to order a lot of building material for her so that she would finish building her house quickly.

Mahlangu, the court heard, was enticed by that and she allegedly gave him R35 000 so that he could buy building material that included an aluminium frame. The court heard that after two weeks of that payment, Ncube’s phone was not reachable and that raised eyebrows prompting Mahlangu to look for him and she found him at Eastview High School where he is employed as a teacher.

When she asked about the building material Ncube allegedly made empty promises. Subsequently Mahlangu sensed she was duped and reported the matter to the police leading to Ncube’s arrest.

During a full trial before magistrate Amanda Moyo, Ncube was convicted of theft of trust property and remanded in custody. He will be sentenced next week on Monday.-statemedia