Gwanda businessman to languish in prison

He had a change of heart halfway through the trial when he pleaded guilty to all the counts before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Godwin Sengweni.
Five years of his sentence were suspended for five years on condition that he is not within that period convicted of similar offences.
His co-accused Nkosizile Ncube (24), of Mabindiza Village 2, Nhlozamandla, Esiphezini, exhibited signs of having mental problems, which prompted the court to retain a special verdict under the Mental Health Act and he is to be sent to Mlondolozi Mental Institution.

In arriving at Ngwenya’s sentence, Mr Sengweni noted that he benefited from the commission of the offences since most of the stolen property was not recovered. He said Ngwenya had become a serial housebreaker and that he committed the crime under the cover of darkness.

In mitigation, Ngwenya, through his lawyer, Mr Nkosilathi Mlala of Cheda and Partners, implored the court to exercise lenience when passing sentence since he is married with seven children and also looks after his parents.

The State case as presented by Ms Sifiso Ndlovu, was that in the early hours of 4 November last year, Ngwenya and Ncube approached a vehicle which was parked outside a house in New Lobengula. They used a bolt cutter to break the padlock securing the screen gate and stole the vehicle, a Mazda 323.

Using the stolen motor vehicle for transport they broke into 10 shops in Esigodini, Matobo and a number of shops in and around Bulawayo.
On 29 November the same year, after realising that the Mazda 323 which they were using had become too small to ferry their loot, they drove to Mr Thuso Brown Muleya’s home in Esiphezini near Ncube’s homestead and stole a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck.

They used the Mazda 323 car keys to start the pick-up truck and drove away in the two motor vehicles.
While on their way to Ngwenya’s business, they came across a police roadblock along the Bulawayo-Matopos Road.

They managed to escape from the unsuspecting police officer who had stopped them and abandoned the two motor vehicles. The total value of the property and groceries they stole was $21 527,83. That valued at $15 000 was recovered after their arrest after detectives from the Vehicle Theft Squad had received information that they were behind the motor vehicle thefts.