Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka-Chisepo
Court Correspondent
A Budiriro man convicted of repeatedly targeting electrical infrastructure and stealing property from a local lodge has been sentenced to an effective 10 years in prison.
Shingirira Kwenda appeared before Mbare magistrate Mr Tinashe Ndokera, facing two counts of contravening the Electricity Act and two counts of theft.
He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on each of the Electricity Act charges and four months on each theft count.
The sentences will run concurrently, leaving him with an effective 10-year jail term. The complainant on the Electricity Act charges was the State, represented by Tofara Chimbambo, a loss control assistant employed by ZESA.
Prosecutor Mr Fidel Chiherenge led the State case. The court heard that on May 20, 2026, at around 8:30 pm, Kwenda and an accomplice who is still at large went to Harare Safari Lodge, where they uprooted and cut five metres of armoured ZESA cable before fleeing undetected.
The stolen cable was valued at US$75, and nothing was recovered. On a second occasion, on June 8, 2026, at about 8:30 pm, the pair returned to the same premises and used a sharp object to cut a 12-metre, 5mm x 4-core armoured ZESA cable.
Kwenda was apprehended at the scene while his accomplice escaped. The recovered cable was valued at US$180.
On the theft charges, the complainant was Harare Safari Lodge, represented by caretaker Trust Chopera.
The court heard that during the May 20 incident, Kwenda and his accomplice also stole copper pipes, electrical cables, four electric geysers and main electrical breakers from the lodge’s main house before disappearing unnoticed.
The stolen property was valued at US$8 725, with only some items recovered. The copper pipes were not recovered.
On June 8, the duo returned to the lodge and cut additional copper pipes from the main house.
This time, they were spotted while committing the offence. Kwenda was arrested at the scene while his accomplice managed to flee.
Investigations and the arrest were carried out by detectives from the CID Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit in Harare, including Detective Sergeant Shield Gonzo, Shepherd Matekenya, Stephen Sheshe, Edmore Godo and Blessed Cheteni.
Peter Tanyanyiwa