Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura
[email protected]
TWO Bulawayo men have appeared in court facing charges of allegedly vandalising telecommunications infrastructure and stealing copper cables belonging to TelOne.
Admire Dube (29) of Lobengula West suburb and Clive Ngonidzaishe Muzuru (28) of Old Lobengula suburb appeared before Western Commonage Regional Magistrate Mr Pasipanodya Maturure charged with wilfully destroying, injuring or removing a telecommunications line.
The pair was remanded in custody to June 8.
Prosecutor Ms Melissa Dube told the court that on May 30, at around 4am, the accused allegedly connived and went to Engameni Street in Luveve with the intention of stealing TelOne copper cables.
The court heard that the two allegedly climbed TelOne poles and used a bolt cutter to cut and steal about 100 metres of drop-wire copper cables used in the transmission of communication signals.
After allegedly removing the cables, the accused persons are said to have taken them to a bushy area in Njube suburb where they started burning them to remove the rubber casing and convert them into scrap copper.
Ms Dube said the accused were spotted by a police officer from Njube Police Station while they were allegedly burning and deforming the cables.
The officer reportedly mobilised members of the public and pursued the suspects when they attempted to flee, leading to their arrest.
Some burnt and deformed copper cables were recovered from the accused persons, while a yellow bolt cutter allegedly used in the commission of the offence was also seized.
The court heard that TelOne loss control officer Mr Joe Gutsa identified the recovered cables as TelOne property used in the distribution of communication signals.
The recovered copper cables were taken to ZimPost for weighing and were found to weigh 11,09 kilogrammes, with an estimated value of US$30.
Investigations into the matter are continuing.
Londile Moyo