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THE trial of four Mutare men who are facing charges of stealing Zesa copper cables from a farm in Penhalonga began at the Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday with the quartet denying the charges.
The accused persons – George Nyakudya (40), Shelton Chivavaya (30), Lovemore Zvarevashe (35) and Mwasembura David (29) – appeared before Mr Langton Mukwengi.
Allegations against the quartet are that during the month of December 2014 to January 14 this year they went to Rujeko Farm in Penhalonga with the intention of stealing electricity cables.
They arrived at Mutasa homestead and cut four core armoured cables measuring 17 metres and took them.
The crime was only discovered on January 21 after detectives from the minerals unit in Mutare who were on patrol in the area bumped into the suspects.
The accused persons were arrested after detectives approached the Toyota Raum they were using which was parked by the roadside.
A search was carried out and the stolen cables were recovered. Further searches done at Nyakudya’s place of residence in Tsvingwe, Penhalonga, resulted in the recovery of three master circuit breakers.
Through their defence counsel, Mr Farai Matinhure of Gonese and Ndlovu Legal Practitioners, they are denying the charges.
Nyakudya said he did not steal the cables as alleged by the State, but picked them near a gold panning site. They were packed in a sack with three master circuit breakers on top of the sack.
He said he saw the property at the same place for two days and decided to take it as he genuinely believed that it had been abandoned. Nyakudya subsequently phoned Chivavaya to look for a vehicle to transport the scrap metal.
In denying the charges, Chivavaya insists that he knew nothing about the cables. He said he was phoned by Nyakudya who told him that he wanted a vehicle to transport the scrap metal. He thus phoned Zvarevashe who sourced for transport from Mwasembura, a taxi driver.
He told the court that he was not aware that the cables could have been stolen as he was advised by Nyakudya that it was scrap metal.
Mwasembura and Zvarevashe also told the court that they did not tamper with the electricity cables because they were not aware that the sack in question contained electrical cables.
Online Reporter