26-YEAR-OLD Memory Dube, from Nxele Village, faked her father-in-law’s death to defraud a burial society of $219.
She approached Batanai Burial Society sometime in February and told them that her father-in-law had died in Nkayi.
She was given $219.
Dube told a court she had been contributing to the burial society for 10 years but had never lost a beneficiary, so she felt it was time for her to benefit.
The treasurer of the burial society, Mrs Marrieta Moyo, said they discovered that Dube had tricked them three months after giving her the money.
Last month a criminal court sentenced Dube to 315 hours of community service at the social welfare offices at the Plumtree Border Post for defrauding the burial society.
Last week, the society dragged her back to court in a civil claim for the $219.
Plumtree magistrate, Mr Livard Philemon ordered Dube to pay back the money. He gave Dube a tongue lashing for using such unethical methods to obtain it.
“Some members of the burial society met her husband a few months later and passed their condolences over the death of his father but he reacted with shock and said his father was still alive,” she said.
Mrs Moyo said the members of the burial society questioned Dube who later confessed she faked her father-in- law’s death.
Dube told the court that she had made up the story to raise money to buy food for her family.
“It is not like I stole the money from the burial society Your Worship because I’m also a member and I have been paying subscriptions for the past 10 years. Other members have received payouts more than once and I have not received any because none of my close family members have passed away.
“I therefore felt it was high time I got my money back and lying was the best was to do it. I used the money to buy mealie meal and other groceries for my family,” she said.
Dube said she never thought it would come out that she faked her father-in-laws death as he stays in Nkayi.