Cosmopolitan Eagle Company, situated in Pioneer House in Bulawayo, claimed to be a reliable agency that could help individuals secure jobs, work permits, and travel documents for overseas employment.
Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya and other hopefuls were enticed by the prospects of a brighter future and approached the agency with great expectations. Ngwenya said:
I visited the company premises at Pioneer House and met Linah Mugondomukandapi, who is the owner, and she told me everything about their services and how the process was being done.
She assured me that if I didn’t succeed, she was going to refund me.
He paid US$1,230, including a US$1,000 application fee for a visa and US$230 for travel insurance, in May 2021.
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However, after six months, when he was informed that his work permit was ready, he faced a setback at the Polish Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.
Rejected for a visa, Ngwenya asked for a refund, only to be met with evasive responses from Linah.
Just imagine I used US$400 to go to South Africa and back home. I got fed up, and Linah had also stopped answering my calls.
The loss of US$1,630 and R1,800 left him in financial distress and strained relationships with friends and family.
According to B-Metro, Ngwenya was not the only victim of Linah’s alleged deception. Another anonymous victim revealed that she paid US$920 to Linah for visa processing, but only received US$95 back.
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Yet another victim claimed to have lost US$1,300 after Linah misrepresented her chances of recruitment abroad. With their dreams shattered, the victims turned to the authorities for help.
When contacted, Linah neither confirmed nor denied the allegations against her, instead attributing visa success to chance and blaming the refund delays on international partners.
