Malawian sisters jailed in UK for fraud, dominate headlines in British media

July 21, 2018 Nyasa Times Reporter 22 Comments

Two Malawian sisters  have  dominated headlined  in British media as they are  among 12 people who have been sentenced to prison in the UK for plotting to claim more than £450,000 ($586,000) in maternity payments for babies which did not exist.

Walusungu Ngwira locked up

Tiwone Dokowe, aged 36, and Walusungu Ngwira, 39, were each starting six-year jail sentences for their part in the racket .

They were jailed last week.

The two Malawians got involved in the swindle reportedly organised by their brother Henry Baza, who was interviewed by investigators but fled the country before he could be arrested and is now believed to be in Malawi.

The two sisters had each been sent to prison in June 2012 for 16 months after being convicted of a carbon copy fraud, Wolverhampton Crown heard.

They were locked up for 16 months and 20 months respectively in June 2012 for illegally pocketing £58,000 worth of maternity allowance, as well as housing and council tax benefits totalling around £17,000.

Judge Barry Berlin told mother-of-three Dokowe: “I am satisfied your activities in this criminal conspiracy began as soon as you were released.

“You are a practised and professional fraudster of public funds who recruited friends and family.

“You knew the full extent of this conspiracy and played a leading role in your escalating criminal career.”

The judge said to Ngwira, who also has three children: “You are a ruthless woman whose insatiable greed dictates your behaviour.”

Other members of the group were given sentences ranging from 14 months to seven years.

Others locked up include pay roll manager Tapiwa Madziwa, a 37-year-old economics graduate from Rightwell East, Peterborough,  who made a bid to escape when the trial was due to start but was detained at Heathrow Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Ethiopia. He was jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Tinashe Sagomba, aged 38, who had almost £40,000 paid into three bank accounts used by him after making multiple false maternity allowance claims, was given a five-year sentence.

Others jailed for their parts in the fraud; Patience Kanjira – sentenced to 14 months in prison but  suspended for two years, Liberty Masunda, 43, Toad Tagarira, 50, Kudakwashe Mhembere, 37, Faith Mavis Tagarira, 41, 19, Casper Mawoko, 36.

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22 replies on “Malawian sisters jailed in UK for fraud, dominate headlines in British media”

  2. And yes children in the UK gets paid more by the government monthly than an average worker in Malawi.

  3. Never heard of this. And yes the UK government pays maternity pay and many benefits including continued children payments up to the age of 16 or 18 and further if one continues with education. Mwayesa mphawi zanu mbava ku Malawi kwanuko.

  4. And now Henry is leading MCP youth wing in the South, he wants to ruin MCP by hiding from his cases. Worse still last year he married Bakili Muluzi’s daughter, atsikana mwatenga chigawenga, Muluzi munthu ofatsa inu mukumutengeranso apongozi oti atsala kulowa kundende? Please Achair has had enough…

  6. Do women with babies get maternity benefits from Government in the UK? I don’t think this is true but unless the government was their employer. It seems the reporter has no details on the case

  8. So you are reporting a story which happened in June 2012 lero. So a story which happened in 2012 is still news in 2018 zoona?

    1. Mphwache wa Bingu, you got the story wrong, according those to the writer, those two are repeated criminals who committed the same crime and were jailed for about 20 months in 2012, so they have done it again. Looking at the names, these are Zimbabweans and Malawians.

      1. Martin, you have made it easier for others to understand the reporter’s story. Simple literature here! The two were habitual criminals. But the pattern of their fraudulent activities is similar to what is happening in the civil service in Malawi.

    2. Akuru simunamvetsetse,,za 2012 ndi zinanso,,have nt u read apo akuti ur fraud started agin after u were released in 2012 ?

  9. Malawians making news abroad. It is a spirit from motherland Malawi. Proverbs 28 vs 18

  11. Henry beza si thyola boyi wa abida mia.? Ndi ma crooku onsewo eti? Kuvotela congress nde misala cheni cheni.

  14. Tumbuka’s doing what they know best kkkkkk. I guess ndi ma member a DPP amenewa2 paja amalawi akuba amakhala a DPP si choncho???

    1. they’re definitely DPP Members and probably illegitimate children going by fake names

  15. Mbava izi, pls musatireni Henry ngwira kumalawi nayenso amangidwe, mbava yosafuna kugwira ntchito

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