Chronicle Editor
Trish Mukwazo, [email protected]
A 30-year-old man employed as a security guard at OK Supermarket has been fined US$200 after being convicted of two counts of theft by a Bulawayo provincial magistrate. Owen Chikova, from Makokoba suburb, exploited his trusted position to steal a six-pack of Zambezi beer, a bottle of Viceroy, a packet of crystal sweets, 20 packs of Everest cigarettes, and seven cans of Black Label beer on two separate occasions.
Bulawayo provincial magistrate, Maxwell Ncube, convicted Chikova of theft and imposed the fine. During sentencing, Ncube considered Chikova’s guilty plea, which demonstrated remorse and a willingness to accept responsibility, thereby avoiding unnecessary delays in the proceedings.
The magistrate noted that due to the rising cases of theft, a substantial fine was necessary. He remarked that Chikova had abused his position of trust as a guard by stealing from his employer.
Prosecutor Sam Mpofu stated that the first incident occurred on September 8 at around 6pm at OK Supermarket, located at the corner of Jason Moyo Street and 9th Avenue in Bulawayo. Chikova, while on duty, unlawfully took 06 x 440ml of Zambezi Beer, 01 x 750ml Viceroy Beer, 01 x 100g pack of Crystal sweets, and 01 x pack of Everest cigarettes, placing them in a paper bag and hiding them at one of the shop tills. At around 8 pm, when the supermarket was closing, Chikova retrieved the hidden goods, pretended to have paid for them, and exited the shop without paying.
The court heard that in the second incident, two days later at around 8pm, Chikova stole a loaf of bread, mahewu, Carling Black Label, and seven cans of Black Label beer. The theft was discovered the same day when an informant, one of the supermarket employees, monitored the CCTV footage. She confronted Chikova at the exit point and found him in possession of a paper bag containing the stolen goods, which he claimed to have bought.
The informant advised Chikova that he was wanted by her superiors and took him to the receiving bay, where his receipt was checked by the senior security guard, revealing that the goods did not appear on his receipt.
Upon this discovery, Chikova was arrested and taken to ZRP Bulawayo Central, where a docket was compiled against him. The total value of the stolen goods was not recovered.
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