Cop up for theft of maize

Midlands Reporter
A police officer stationed in Zvishavane allegedly stole 59 bags of maize from the police mess in Gweru and exchanged some of them for livestock, a Gweru magistrate has heard. Assistant Inspector Marowa Nyamande, 39, of ZRP Main Camp in Gweru, allegedly committed the crime between July and December, 2008.

Asst Insp Nyamande appeared before magistrate Mildred Matuvi to answer to six charges of theft.
The matter has been pending before the courts because the state was struggling to get witnesses.

Magistrate Matuvi remanded Nyamande who has been out of custody on free bail to August 26 for continuation of trial.
Facts against the accused are that some time during the month of July in 2008, Nyamande was working at ZRP Gweru City mess as a manager responsible for the procurement and issuing of food stuffs.

The state alleged that on July 22 the same year, the accused took 11 by 50kg bags of maize from the canteen.
He allegedly took four of the 11 bags and exchanged them for some goats and kept the animals instead of slaughtering them for the canteen. The court heard that the goats were recovered in December of the same year.

Nyamande is alleged to have taken 10 more bags of maize from the canteen storeroom on August 5 to Village 19 in Tokwe where he traded the maize for a cow which again he did not slaughter. He allegedly claimed the beast as his own.

It is also alleged that on October 5 and 15 in 2008, the accused took 10 and eight bags of maize respectively from the store room to Zhaugwe village in Shurugwi and Boulder Beacon Farm in Somabhula and exchanged them for a cow and an ox which were supposed to be slaughtered for consumption but the accused claimed the beasts as his.

On December 20, 2008, Nyamande was at it again as he allegedly stole 18 bags of maize.
However, all the bags were recovered after information was leaked to his superiors by one of the junior officers engaged to load the maize on behalf of the accused.
Nyamande at one time tried to shift the blame to the state witness, Rafael Muganhu, accusing him of stealing from him, the court was told.