Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
A SERIAL Chipinge burglar, Themba Mhlanga Dube (26), of Mwaingeni Village under Chief Ngungunyana, has been sentenced to five years in jail after pleading guilty to 34 counts of unlawful entry and theft.
The stolen goods were valued at over US$9 000.
Dube appeared before Chipinge magistrate, Mrs Catherine Dzivanyika, and admitted to the crimes.
The court heard that Dube had been on a nine-month crime spree, leaving a trail of losses and anxiety among Chipinge residents.
Prosecutor, Mr Tanaka Mufudza, said Dube systematically broke into homes between September 2024 and May 2025, targeting valuable electronics and mobile devices.
His crimes were committed across several residential suburbs, including low density, Usanga, St Kelvin, medium density and Gaza E.
Dube was eventually arrested following a joint operation by a special dragnet squad from ZRP Chipinge Urban and police intelligence officers.
His arrest brought closure to 34 criminal dockets, some of which had been open for months with little progress.
“The breakthrough came when investigators cross-referenced mobile phone data from reported break-ins with information from mobile network providers.
“One of the phones led police officers to Checheche Town Centre, where they arrested Vimbai Watson (22), who had unknowingly purchased the stolen phone.
“Further questioning led to the arrest of second-hand dealer, Tatenda Muzondi, who admitted to buying several gadgets from Dube, including an HP laptop and 32-inch Digimark TV,” said Mr Mufudza.
He said Muzondi cooperated with the police and led the officers to Dube’s homestead, leading to his arrest.
During interrogation, Dube voluntarily led the police to multiple locations where he had stashed or sold the stolen items, enabling law enforcement to recover part of the loot and close the 34 cases.
Mr Mufudza also revealed that of the US$9 000 worth of stolen goods, only items valued at around US$3 000 were recovered.
These included two Samsung A06 smartphones, Mobicel handset, three HP laptops, Vivo Star laptop, an Acer laptop, eight laptop hard drives, three desktop hard drives, five LCD laptop screens, 32-inch Digimark television and computer keyboard.
Mrs Dzivanyika sentenced Dube to five years in prison, suspending 20 months on condition that he pays restitution to the victims whose property is still missing. He was also ordered to reimburse them goods worth approximately US$6 000.
“This sentence, not only serves as justice for the victims, but is also a strong warning to others who may consider committing similar offences. The community can now breathe a sigh of relief,” said Mrs Dzivanyika as she passed down her sentence.
