adminSylvester Chiramba
SIX Grain Marketing Board (GMB) employees from Bulawayo have appeared in court for allegedly stealing 1,5 tonnes of maize worth $585.
Detoy Muzamba (41), Thomas Mbirimu (51), Trust Nayi (28), from Nkulumane suburb, Marimanjila Mhlanga (52), Peter Gamanel (49), from Pumula suburb and Augastine Vurayai (54) from Cowdray Park suburb allegedly stole 31 bags of 50kg maize on Sunday with the intention to sell them for their personal gain.
The six appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Stephen Ndhlovu on Wednesday charged with theft.
They pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Mr Ndhlovu remanded them out of custody to January 5 for trial.
In a police statement, Mr Christopher Marowa, the GMB manager at Kelvin West Depot, said the maize could have been stolen at GMB Kelvin West as they were short of around 30 bags after stock taking.
a�?I can link the bags to have been stolen from the GMB depot since a stock taken revealed that there is a shortage of about 30, 50kg bags of maize which are similar to the 31 bags found,a�? he said.
Prosecuting Mr Mufaro Mageza told the court that on Sunday at around 5pm at GMB Kelvin West Bulawayo the accused people connived and stole 31 bags of 50kg maize.
a�?Acting with common purpose the accused loaded the maize in a truck,a�? he said.
a�?They drove the truck to Emalongeni market searching for buyers. Muzamba and Nayi were arrested at the market after an anonymous tip-off and they implicated the other four accused people when they were questioned at Mzilikazi Police Station.a�?
Property stolen is worth $585 and all of it was recovered.
Online Reporter