A MAID who was traced through a fake Facebook account after
disappearing with her employer’s property worth around $700 was yesterday fined
$100.
Petronella Matsimbi (19) was employed at Ms Immaculate Gono
(26)’s house at Emganwini suburb when she fled with a laptop, kitchenware and
some clothes all amounting to $771.
Matsimbi was yesterday fined $100 or 90 days in jail. She
told the court she stole from her employer because she had not been paid her
salary.
In passing sentence, Western Commonage magistrate Mr
Lungile Ncube considered that Ms Gono had recovered all her property.
The magistrate said Matsimbi’s behaviour was uncalled for
and she should have confronted her employer about the money instead of
stealing.
Mr Kenneth Shava prosecuted. He said Ms Gono created a fake
Facebook account under the name Charles Todd and proposed love to the maid.
Matsimbi had stopped answering calls from Ms Gono. Under
cross-examination in court on Thursday, Matsimbi claimed that she had not been
paid and only took the property as compensation.
The court heard that on August 11, Ms Gono woke up to
notice her bedroom windows open and decided to check if all the windows were
closed.
“She noticed her maid was not around and thought she had
sneaked out to her boyfriend,” said Mr Shava. In the morning, she checked on
her maid again and realised that all her clothes were not there and she tried
contacting her.”
Ms Gono later realised her kitchenware, a laptop and some
clothes were missing.
On trying to contact her, Matsimbi would not answer her
phone.
Ms Gono managed to locate Matsimbi through a fake Facebook
account after luring her to meet in the Bulawayo city centre.
“Ms Gono arranged with the police to meet Matsimbi in town
on September 3 and they apprehended her,” said Mr Shava. Chronicle
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