Serial thief nabbed after one year on the run

Lisa Mangena, Court Reporter
A 45-YEAR-OLD serial thief from Bulawayo, who has been on the run for almost a year, has been arrested.

Winter Foster Chisale of Nkulumane suburb was on the police wanted list for breaking into cars and stealing property in 2017.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of theft before Bulawayo Magistrate, Miss Adelaide Mbeure, who remanded him in custody to today.

Chisale allegedly stole $8 000, a Samsung J7 cellphone and a Samsung Galaxy Note pad all valued at $9 700 from a Toyota Hilux that belonged to Mr Orpheus Ndlovu.

A court heard that Mr Ndlovu parked his vehicle along Fife Street at the corner of 10th Avenue.

“I closed my windows and locked the doors before I entered Steward bank,” he said.

“When I returned I realised that someone had tampered with my car and stole stuff l had left inside”.

Prosecuting, Mr Taurai Hondoyemoto told the court that Chisale gave the J7 cellphone to his girlfriend and investigators recovered it from her.

Chisale in February allegedly stole $1 600 that was in a bag, a small Germany dictionary and a Zimbabwean passport from a Mercedes Benz that belonged to Mr Khumbulani Mhlophe.

Mr Mhlophe had parked his car along JMN Nkomo Street between 11th and 12th Avenues, closed the windows and the doors before he went to a nearby shop.

“I left my car locked and windows closed before I went into a nearby shop. Coming out of the shop, I noticed that someone was loitering around my car,” he said.

“When this person realised l had seen him, he fled in a silver Toyota car. I got to my car, checked for my stuff and the bag that contained my passport had been stolen”.

The vehicle that Chisale had escaped in was registered under a Mr Lovemore Sibanda’s name.

Sometime in 2017, the car was involved in an accident but Chisale fled from the scene and the vehicle was towed by the police, the court heard.

Chisale later in October stole a Samsung Galaxy Note tablet, 500 gig external hard drive, $30, a power bank, Econet fuel card, Standard Chartered bank card, debit card and a driver’s licence from Ms Khethiwe Mhlophe (Not related to Khumbulani).

“I parked my car at the ZITF Grounds on October 1, closed the car windows and locked the doors before entering Hall 5.

When I came back the car window had been smashed and my things had been stolen,” said Ms Mhlophe.

On June 10, Chisale, together with two unidentified persons,  stole a handbag containing a ZTE cellphone and a pair of spectacles.