Boozy cravings wreck guard’s career

OWEN CHIKOVA, a 30-year-old security guard at an OK Zimbabwe supermarket in Bulawayo, would surely qualify as a poster boy of a man who simply cannot control his cravings.

Well, his love affair with booze and cigarettes proved to be a costly romance.

Stationed at the store’s entrance like a loyal sentry, Chikova decided that his pay slip just was not enough to cover his urges.

His thirst for a few gulps of the good old Zambezi lager, shots of Viceroy whiskey and a few puffs of Everest cigarettes led him to pilfer from his own workplace.

On September 8, while on duty, he helped himself to a six-pack of Zambezi beer, a bottle of Viceroy whiskey, a packet of sweets and a 20-pack of Everest cigarettes. He stashed his loot by a shop till and at closing time, swaggered out of the store as if he had paid for it. Smooth, right?

Well, he didn’t stop there. Two days later, his boozy cravings got the better of him again.

However, this time, he upgraded his grocery list to include a loaf of bread, some mahewu and — wait for it — seven cans of Carling Black Label. But every good crime spree comes to an end.

An alert employee, clearly unimpressed by Owen’s amateur thievery, checked the CCTV footage and caught him red-handed.

When confronted at the exit, Chikova tried to convince her that he had paid for everything.

Unfortunately for him, the senior security guard wasn’t buying that story.

A quick check confirmed what they all suspected: Chikova was doing his Christmas shopping early — and on OK’s tab.

The hapless mampara ended up at ZRP Bulawayo Central. Magistrate Maxwell Ncube wasn’t exactly sympathetic, slapping Owen with a US$200 fine. He acknowledged Chikova’s guilty plea but also reminded him that stealing from your employer — especially when you are literally paid to prevent theft — is a special kind of stupid.

As Chikova embarks on a forced hiatus from his duties, he is left ruing his insatible love for booze. His story serves as a cautionary tale that even small acts of stupidity can have big consequences.