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Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A sticky-fingered Honde Valley man has allegedly recruited his 14-year-old son into the world of thievery and the duo is said to be targeting unsuspecting villagers and snatching their cellphones.
It is alleged that Blessing Hamudikuwanda and his minor son (name withheld) are the main suspects behind a series of cellphone thefts in Honde Valley.
The matter came to light after one of the victims, Tobias Mutepfa, made a report to Headwoman Mupotedzi.
Both parties appeared before the headwoman’s court last week on Thursday.
Mutepfa claimed that he lost three cellphones and US$50 to the duo.
He demanded compensation from Hamudikuwanda.
“On May 9, I went out to take a bath, leaving my cellphone on the charger inside the house. However, when I came back, the cellphone was gone.
“On April 6, we left another cellphone charging at home. There was US$50 inside the cellphone’s pouch. The cellphone disappeared again. It seems the thief was targeting us because another cellphone was stolen from the charger in January,” said Mutepfa.
He said he realised that the Hamudikuwandas were stealing his family’s phones after his wife saw the boy using a new Itel P37 that is identical to their missing phone.
She confronted the teenager and requested to see the cellphone, but the boy refused.
Instead, he put it in his pocket and gave her another cellphone.
“The cellphone that he gave her had gone missing from our home last year. My wife insisted on getting the other cellphone and he eventually handed it over. That is when she realised that it was her missing cellphone. The boy asked her to give him back the memory card, saying it was his father’s,” said Mutepfa.
He later confronted Hamudikuwanda and his son over the theft and the teenager confessed that he was behind it.
“The boy confessed stealing the cellphones from my bedroom. He did not want to implicate his father, but it was clear that the man was also involved. I lost three cellphones to this man and his son. I want my cellphones back, but Hamudikuwanda is not co-operating.
“It should be noted that many people in the village are losing their cellphones in the same manner. We need your help. I want my cellphones back,” said Mutepfa.
Hamudikuwanda confirmed that his son was behind the theft and absolved himself. He went on to rubbish claims that there was money in one of the cellphone pouches.
“What I know is what my child told me and I believe him. There was no money in the cellphone pouch. Yes, he stole all the cellphones, but there was no money inside.
“Each time my son brought a new cellphone home, he would tell me that he would have received it from our church pastor. That is why I never thought that he was stealing from people,” said Hamunakuwanda.
He said his children stay alone following his divorce.
“I stay at my workplace and I believe my son stole the cellphones so that he could sell them and buy food. I am deeply sorry, and I will try to replace the phones. I am also struggling to make ends meet,” he said.
Hamunakuwanda was ordered to buy Mutepfa’s cellphones by month end, while his son was ordered to undergo hard labour at the headwoman’s homestead as punishment. Headwoman Mupotedzi urged her subjects to keep an eye on their children.
She said parents have a responsibility to instil good values in their children and to prevent them from engaging in harmful or criminal activities.
“The future of this community depends on the quality of the next generation. I hope to see more young people becoming productive and law-abiding citizens,” said Headwoman Mupotedzi.
Online Reporter