Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku, Court writer
A 51-year-old serial car thief who had been on the run for two years, has been jailed for 13 years after stealing US$10 000 and 250 grammes of gold from a widow in Bulawayo.
Sancilous Nekati (51) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Vimbayi Chirayi last Friday, facing a charge of theft from a motor vehicle. He pleaded not guilty, claiming he was not in Bulawayo on the day of the theft.
His accomplice, Lewis Mazarura, testified: “I am the one who stole. Nekati was not there.”
However, during cross-examination, State prosecutor Mr Sehliselo Khumalo dismissed Mazarura.
“Mazarura told the court they were using Nekati’s car to commit the crime. The vehicle was impounded by police and later taken by Nekati’s girlfriend, who happens to be one of the Vumbunu women currently in custody for armed robbery cases.”
In aggravation, Mr Khumalo said: “He (Nekati) smashed a car window containing Nomuhle Maclaren’s US$10,000, 250 grammes of gold and other belongings and stole cash and gold. The mandatory sentence for this case is 10 years.
His accomplice, Lewis Mazarura, pleaded guilty in 2022 and was jailed for 10 years. But Nekati has been evasive, and due to that I pray he is sentenced to 13 years. He stole from a widow who has no one to look after her.”
At the end of the trial, the magistrate found him guilty and sentenced him to 13 years, with two years suspended on condition he does not commit any offence involving dishonesty. Nekati will effectively serve 11 years in jail.
Mr Khumalo told the court that on September 15, 2022, a man named Takesure Mpofu gave the complainant a lift while driving along Bulawayo-Plumtree Road towards the industrial area. Mpofu parked his car at a hardware factory and locked it before going inside.
“Maclaren forgot her handbag, which contained US$10 493, 250 grammes of gold, mining documents, personal documents, a cellphone and a bunch of keys,” said Mr Khumalo.
The offender, accompanied by Mazarura, smashed a rear window of Mpofu’s car and stole US$10 000, 250 grammes of gold, keys and a cellphone.
While they sped away in their getaway car, Mpofu recognised the number plates and reported the incident to the police. Investigations were launched, but Nekati remained on the run since September 2022 and was only arrested last week.
Nekati has a history of arrests and convictions for theft from motor vehicles but had previously managed to avoid custodial sentences.
