Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Beitbridge’s notorious house breaker, Thobekani Mpofu (30) who had unleashed a reign of terror in the town for six months was on Wednesday jailed for an effective two years.
Mpofu was in the habit of breaking into houses using a crowbar or bolt cutter targeting electrical gadgets, mostly television sets. He was convicted on his own plea of guilty to nine counts of unlawful entry and one for possessing articles of criminal use when he appeared before Magistrate Vavariro Gabi.
Mpofu was arrested on Monday last week in the border town following a tip off. Detectives recovered property worth thousands of dollars that he stole from around Beitbridge. For the first charge of possession of articles for criminal use he was fined US$100 or risk imprisonment for four months in default of payment by June 5 this year.
He was slapped with four years imprisonment and six months were conditionally suspended for 5 years on the nine charges of unlawful entry (house breaking and theft). A further 18 months were suspended on condition of restitution to the various complainants, leaving him with an effective 24 months imprisonment.
Prosecuting, Mr Tawanda Chigavazira said Mpofu was involved in a series of house breaking activities around Beitbridge from November 2023 until his arrest on May 6 this year. The State said Mpofu would conduct surveillance on most premises before pouncing on the premises as soon as the owners leave or fall asleep. He would break doors and gates using a crowbar or bolt cutter.
Mpofu would pounce on his victims’ houses even during the day. The court heard that during his shenanigans, Mpofu broke into nine properties where he stole electrical gadgets among them solar batteries, television sets, inventors, stoves, printers, fridges, radio and TV speakers, and food items and money (cash.
All the matters were reported to the police and he was arrested on May 6 this year after being spotted carrying a crowbar, bolt cutter and padlock keys. An assortment of electrical gadgets was recovered across the town during indications and the properties have been positively identified by their owners. Follow on X : @tupeyo
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