By a Correspondent
What begins as a hopeful attempt to turn a few dollars into a fortune is increasingly ending in prison cells, broken families and shattered careers as Zimbabwe’s obsession with the online betting game Aviator, popularly known as “Chindege”, takes a troubling turn.
Across the country, courts are handling a growing number of cases involving employees, relatives and trusted colleagues who have stolen money in desperate attempts to recover losses or strike it rich through the fast-paced online gambling game.
The pattern is becoming alarmingly familiar: a gambler takes money belonging to an employer, family member or colleague believing a big win is just one bet away. Instead, the money disappears within minutes, leaving the culprit facing arrest and prosecution.
The latest case involved 28-year-old Bakers Inn shift manager William Gonese, who was sentenced to an effective 10 months in prison after stealing US$3,420 from his employer during a night shift.
The Harare Magistrates’ Court heard that Gonese took the money from the company safe intending to replace it after winning on Aviator. However, he lost the entire amount.
His case mirrors that of Metro Hypermarket cashier Peter Muza, who was jailed for an effective four years after stealing US$49,437 entrusted to him by his employer.
Court proceedings revealed that Muza under-banked cash collected from till operators and manipulated records to conceal the theft. Investigations later established that the stolen funds were lost through Aviator betting.
The problem is not limited to the private sector.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe employee Pets Napwaro was arrested after allegedly stealing US$1,500 from a colleague’s office before gambling away the money on Aviator.
According to prosecutors, Napwaro allegedly entered the office through a partially open window while the complainant was away and took cash from a drawer. The money was allegedly lost through online betting.
In Bulawayo, 22-year-old McMillan Zimunhu was arrested after allegedly stealing US$10,300 belonging to his mother.
Police investigations revealed that the money, painstakingly saved over more than a decade and hidden at different locations around the family home, was allegedly taken in stages before being lost through Aviator gambling.
In another case, 23-yar old Tapiwanashe Zembe, a sales representative from Harare employed by Sheffield Construction Company, was arrested in June for allegedly faking a robbery of USD$4 450 in a bid to cover up money he had lost through playing ‘chindege’ in Chiredzi.
The growing number of such cases is raising concerns that Chindege is now becoming an addiction that is driving some individuals to commit crimes.
Beyond courtrooms, the social consequences are becoming increasingly visible.
Recently, a man reportedly collapsed inside a Harare betting shop after losing money that had been entrusted to him by his brother to purchase stock for a grocery business. Witnesses said he had hoped to multiply the money through Aviator before losing everything.
A video of the incident, which circulated widely on social media, showed distressed patrons attempting to assist the man while a police officer attended the scene.
Employers, families and law enforcement agencies are now expressing concern over what appears to be a growing culture of gambling-fuelled desperation.
Unlike traditional forms of betting, Aviator offers rapid outcomes and the promise of instant rewards, factors experts say can encourage compulsive behaviour among vulnerable players.
Careers built over years are being destroyed in a matter of minutes. Families are losing savings accumulated over decades. Trust between employers and workers is being eroded, while courts continue to process a growing stream of theft cases linked to online gambling.
As Zimbabwe’s online betting industry continues to expand, the mounting number of thefts associated with Chindege is exposing the darker side of a game that promises quick riches but is increasingly leaving behind financial ruin, criminal records and broken lives.
