Online Reporter
Peter Matika, Senior Court Reporter
A FORMER Bulawayo car dealer-cum-socialite, Brighton Chipunza (30), has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing a South Africa-registered Toyota Fortuner from a car wash on the outskirts of the central business district last year.
Chipunza was jailed jointly with conspirators, namely Amen Matayi Ncube of Montrose suburb and Julius Chitunhu from Cranborne suburb in Harare, who aided him in committing and trying to conceal the crime.
The trio was sentenced to 10 years in jail each, but will only serve an effective seven years, after three years were suspended for good behaviour.
The case, which drew much public interest, was concluded last Friday, after the State and the defence submitted written aggravation and mitigation remarks to the court about a fortnight ago.
The submissions were presented in writing since the presiding magistrate has been reassigned to another court.
The matter was presided over by former Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Joseph Mabeza, whose ruling was delivered by another sitting magistrate.
Chipunza was arrested in November last year for the crime and has been remanded in custody without the option of bail, as he was deemed a flight risk.
The State opposed bail, as he is linked to several other car theft cases, which are expected to be heard in court in due time.
According to the court records, Chipunza stole the car right under the nose of workers at a city car wash, after it had been left for cleaning.
The complainant, Miss Silibaziso Ncube, according to reports, indicated that she had assigned her worker, Mr Jonathan Ngando Thuli, to take the vehicle to Tunnel Car Wash for cleaning on 18 November last year.
Mr Thuli left the vehicle with Mr Panashe Dube, who works at the car wash and Mr Dube cleaned and parked it outside.
However, when Ms Ncube went to collect the vehicle at 4pm on the day in question, she found it missing.
After enquiring with the staff and learning that her car had been stolen, she reported the matter to the police.
Mr Thuli corroborated Ms Ncube’s account, confirming that he had left the vehicle with Mr Dube.
A third witness, Mr Nkosi Moyo, alleged that Chipunza hired him to drive the stolen vehicle from Bulawayo to Harare.
Mr Moyo recounted how Chipunza collected him at midnight from his residence in Emakhandeni and drove to Montrose, where the vehicle was parked.
He was given the keys and instructed to deliver the vehicle to Chipunza’s co-accused, Chitunhu, in Harare.
“I was in the company of my younger brother, who on that particular day was not feeling well,” said Mr Moyo.
“We were supposed to travel together, but he couldn’t due to his condition. After I was given the keys to the car, I asked to be escorted to town as I am not familiar with the neighbourhood.
“We then passed through Bradfield and poured fuel into the vehicle at a certain garage. Thereafter, I was escorted to Harare Road and given instructions as to what to do when I arrived in Harare,” said Mr Moyo.
The vehicle was recovered from Chitunhu’s yard in Harare with the help of a vehicle tracking company and police detectives.
Its front and rear number plates were missing, and the engine chassis number was ground off.
A grinder, stencils, acid, and spray paints were found in the vehicle, linking Chitunhu to the crime.
Detectives from the Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS) checked the car wash and found that the CCTV at the facility had been deactivated.
