Fortune Makoni [email protected]
FOUR workers at When West Mine in Inyathi, Bubi District, have each been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for stealing carbon worth US$3 600 from their employer.
Linos Sithole (21), Bothwell Ndlovu (19), Diouf Ncube (19) and Xolani Majola (28) were convicted of theft after pleading guilty before magistrate Maggie Ruzive.
Prosecutor, Janet Dube told the court that the quartet stole 24 bags of barren carbon weighing 50kg each, with a total weight of 1.2 tonnes, on July 29, 2026.
They were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment each, with six months wholly suspended on condition that they each restitute the complainant US$900 or equivalent in Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) by October 30, 2026. The remaining six months’ imprisonment is effective.
The court heard that the four, who were employed as miners at the mine, connived to steal the carbon before hiring a Mazda Bongo vehicle, registration number AET 5081, driven by Thembelani Nyathi, to transport it to Velaphi Mine in Motapa.
They intended to sell the carbon to the mine’s owner, Lavious Moyo, for US$70 per bag, but the deal failed and they left the stolen property at the mine.
Three days later, they hired the same vehicle to transport the carbon to House Number 320 in Inyathi Township, where they sold it for US$500 to a miner, Oscar Mathe, who subsequently used it.
The matter was reported to ZRP Inyathi on July 31, 2026, and investigations led to Sithole’s arrest in Bulawayo on October 10.
During questioning, Sithole implicated his three accomplices, leading to their arrest.
The complainant, When West Mine, was represented by its 46-year-old mine manager, Peter Shonhiwa. The court heard that none of the stolen carbon was recovered, resulting in financial loss to the mine, which had to purchase replacement carbon.
In mitigation, the court considered the offenders’ guilty pleas, young ages and first-offender status. The offenders told the court that they were unmarried and had no children. They were employed at the mine, earning between US$100 and US$200 per month, while some had no savings or assets of value.
The court noted that the offenders had not raised spurious defences and that their guilty pleas had assisted in the smooth administration of justice, enabling the proceedings to be finalised expeditiously.
However, the magistrate said the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating factors, noting that the offenders had abused the trust placed in them by their employer and had deliberately planned the theft.
The court expressed concern over the prevalence of theft cases involving mine employees, observing that workers were stealing from the employers who provided their livelihoods.
The magistrate said a deterrent sentence was necessary to protect employers’ interests and restore public confidence in the justice system.
Although a victim impact assessment showed that the complainant was willing to forgive the offenders and favoured community service, the court ruled that imprisonment was warranted given the seriousness of the offence, the value of the stolen property and the fact that nothing had been recovered.
