COPPER CROOK CAGED 10 YEARS, Thief nailed over daring Gwanda mine raid

B-Metro Reporter

A GWANDA man who tried to pull off a copper heist worthy of an action movie is now cooling his heels behind bars for the next 10 years.

Bongisani Ndlovu (44) of Guyu Village was slapped with a decade-long prison sentence by the Gwanda Magistrates’ Court after he was nailed for possessing stolen copper from a lithium mine.

Ndlovu and two accomplices, still on the run, stormed the mine on 17 December 2024 in a South African-registered navy-blue Toyota Fortuner towing a trailer of the same colour.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the trio was kitted out for crime — armed with a bolt cutter, a green battery grinder, and green cutting discs.
“They cut armoured cables from a heap, further cutting them into smaller pieces before loading them into their vehicle,” read the NPAZ statement.

Security guards spotted them fleeing the scene and tracked them down to a bushy area nearby where they had parked their getaway vehicle.

They were pounced on, and Ndlovu was nabbed. The copper cables, vehicle, trailer, and tools were all seized and have been forfeited to the State.

NPAZ warned copper crooks that the law has no mercy.
“Unlawful possession of copper is a serious offence and attracts a mandatory 10 year sentence,” said the authority. “We urge the public to report suspicious activities involving theft of copper cables or unlawful possession of copper.”