Border Timbers Storeman Jailed 12 Months For Stealing 10,000 Litres Of Diesel

A 25-year-old Border Timbers Limited storeman has been jailed for 12 months for fraud after stealing 10,000 litres of diesel worth nearly US$18,000.

Munashe Marimudzi was sentenced by the Mutare Magistrates’ Court after he was found to have fraudulently misappropriated 10,000 litres of diesel valued at US$17,782 between January and August 2025.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), Marimudzi altered fuel issue documents and made fictitious entries on the company’s Syspro inventory management system to cover up the theft.

The court heard that the storeman manipulated fuel issue records and recorded false transactions in the company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to conceal the loss of diesel.

The offence only came to light in July 2025 after company management detected anomalies while analysing the Daily Combined Power Report, a report which monitors diesel consumption for generators against electricity usage.

An internal investigation uncovered altered fuel issue documents, prompting a forensic audit and a police report.

The audit established that Border Timbers had lost 10,000 litres of diesel and that Marimudzi had failed to account for an additional 3,303.60 litres worth US$4,492.90, further corroborating the audit findings.

He was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment, of which 12 months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour, while a further 24 months were suspended on condition that he pays restitution to the complainant. He will serve an effective 12 months in prison.

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