A Harare businesswoman allegedly torched over half a million dollars of other people's cash on a fake car-importing hustle, then celebrated turning 35 with a whole European tour. Hazel Silibaziso Mafu, who runs Hezy Motors Logistics, showed up in Harare Magistrates Court facing fraud charges tied to the scheme, with bail arguments set for Monday.
Prosecutors say this ran for roughly four years, with Mafu pitching vehicle importation deals across social media and other platforms, promising she'd source cars fast and cheap. Clients paid up, cars never showed, and nobody's gotten a cent back.
Total damage lands around US$634,000 combined with ZiG1,275,878 in local currency, and that birthday apparently included stops in Paris, Rome, Berlin, and Madrid.
Police actually put out a manhunt for her back in May after fraud complaints piled up covering 2022 through April this year. Commissioner Paul Nyathi laid out how she allegedly marketed herself as someone with real capacity to deliver vehicles on schedule at solid prices, then just kept the money once people paid in. So far, 20 people have formally reported losses of US$155,211 to police, with more possibly still surfacing.
Prosecutors say this ran for roughly four years, with Mafu pitching vehicle importation deals across social media and other platforms, promising she'd source cars fast and cheap. Clients paid up, cars never showed, and nobody's gotten a cent back.
Total damage lands around US$634,000 combined with ZiG1,275,878 in local currency, and that birthday apparently included stops in Paris, Rome, Berlin, and Madrid.
Police actually put out a manhunt for her back in May after fraud complaints piled up covering 2022 through April this year. Commissioner Paul Nyathi laid out how she allegedly marketed herself as someone with real capacity to deliver vehicles on schedule at solid prices, then just kept the money once people paid in. So far, 20 people have formally reported losses of US$155,211 to police, with more possibly still surfacing.
