adminFaith Mabuto Midlands Reporter
A BULAWAYO man who walked into two heavily protected military facilities and took pictures of an air force jet and marching soldiers, has been sentenced to an effective one year in jail. Freddy Tinotenda Masutu, 22, of Nketa 7 suburb, was convicted on his own plea of guilty to unlawfully wearing a military uniform and unlawful entry after he walked in and out of Thornhill Airbase in Gweru and KG6 military headquarters in Harare.
In passing sentence, Gweru Provincial Magistrate Musaiwona Shotgame said he had taken into account that Masutu had not wasted the court’s time by pleading guilty. The magistrate slapped him with a two-year sentence, but suspended one year on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within five years.
“You pleaded guilty and didn’t waste the court’s time. However, it’s funny that at your age you’re a proud holder of three previous convictions. You’re sinking deeper into a pool of crime and you’re now resistant to the drug or prescription of a sentence of community service and a fine,” said the magistrate.
“You endangered the security of the country and you wore military uniform, got into army barracks, and filmed an aircraft and the army barrack so you could hand over the information to yet unknown people. This is tarnishing the image of the army and the army’s image doesn’t deserve to be tarnished by bogus army members.”
The charges Masutu had faced in his previous convictions could not be established immediately. For the state, Kelvin Guvheya said on the morning of August 5 this year, Masutu gained entry into Thornhill Airbase on the outskirts of Gweru after turning up in camouflage uniform. Once inside, he proceeded to the tailor’s shop and requested Warrant Officer 11 Alice Manyenyeri to sew rank shoulder titles onto his jersey to avoid any inconveniences with “his” superiors.
He said at around 12PM on the same day, Masutu returned to Manyenyeri and requested to have a V rank sewn onto his jersey, but the material was not available. He left his jersey to be sewn when the material became available. The V rank is for Lance Corporal.
Guvheya said Masutu never returned to the tailor’s shop. While still within the airbase, the court heard, Masutu proceeded to the runway and took a picture of the K-8 military training plane. On count two, Guvheya said Masutu gained entry into KG6 knowing that he was not a member of the Zimbabwe National Army.
Using his mobile phone, he recorded pictures of himself and those of marching soldiers while inside the prohibited area. Days later Masutu, wearing a camouflage uniform, was walking along Leopold Takawira Street in Harare, talking on his mobile phone. Guvheya said military police officers stopped Masutu to investigate if he was a genuine soldier. “It was upon these inquiries that Sergeant Pande then arrested the accused person and asked him to accompany them to Drill Hall in order to verify whether indeed the accused person was employed by the Zimbabwe National Army,” he said.
Guvheya said Masutu pleaded with Sergeant Pande and Private Muromo to let him fetch his car, which he had left parked nearby.
The two officers confiscated his mobile phone to make sure he returned.
The court heard that Masutu later turned up at Drill Hall to collect his ZTE mobile phone, but was now wearing blue worksuit.
Guvheya said Sergeant Pande went through the photo library on Masutu’s mobile phone and discovered photographs which showed that he had been to Thornhill Airbase in Gweru as well as KG6 Military Headquarters in Harare. “The accused person led the police detectives to a house on 3rd Street, Gweru, where the full military camouflage uniform was recovered as well as a military jersey that he had left with Warrant Officer 11 Manyenyeri,” said Guvheya.
derick.khumalo