adminMunyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
FOUR notorious copper cable thieves are facing up to a collective 270 years after they were convicted on 10 counts of stealing over $140 000 worth of cables from Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).
The quartet, Farai Dzingai (26), Tizirai Matson (34), Gift Kanjanga (35) and Ronald Shumba (42) of Gweru had pleaded not guilty when they appeared before Gweru Provincial magistrate Mrs Phathekile Msipa.
Dzingai and Matson were convicted on 10 counts each, while Kanjanja was convicted on three counts and Shumba on four, for contravening the Zesa Act and face a possible 10 years for each count which is the mandatory sentence for copper cable theft.
The matter would be referred to the High Court for sentencing as the possible sentence is not within the magistrate’s jurisdiction.
The State’s case was that between the period extending from December 2012 to January last year, the four stole copper cables in Gweru and surrounding areas belonging to ZETDC worth over $140 000.
It was the State’s case that the four would illegally switch off electricity before cutting the cables using a side cutter.
In one of the incidents, the four thieves were transported by a Mr Shumba using a Toyota Prado SUV and were dropped along Indiva Road near Sino Cement site.
The four tripped the electrical cables thereby switching off electricity and stole the cables which they rolled and transported to Shumba’s house.
The four used the same method to steal copper cabbles in the same area and Zaloba.
The four were paid $2 000 each by Shumba for the job.
The matter came to light in January last year when police received a tip-off from members of the public that one of the thieves Tizirai Matson was looking for a buyer of copper cables hidden at Umsungwe Road.
The court heard that police then laid an ambush and arrested him in the early hours of the following morning and found him in possession of five rolls of copper cables. Matson then incriminated his three other accomplices.
One of the suspects Cliff Rufetu is on the run.
Mr Bernard Nyoni appeared for the State.
Online Reporter