Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
SOME rural communities outside Victoria Falls have been struggling to get clean water for the past few months after thieves destroyed solar-powered boreholes by stealing panels and pumps.
The worst affected communities are Bethesda and Simakade in Jambezi and Sikabela, a resettlement area near Victoria Falls Airport.
The suspected gang has been targeting solar panels, borehole pumps, control boxes and piping donated by tour operators and non-governmental organisations such as Greenline Africa.
The boreholes also supply schools, community gardens and livestock.
Police have since arrested one of the gang members Mduduzi Ncube (23) of Sikabela who has been sentenced to three years and 11 months in jail.
Ncube pleaded not guilty to two counts of theft and one each of disorderly conduct in a public place and assault when he appeared before Victoria Falls magistrate Ms Lindiwe Maphosa but was convicted after full trial.
He was in the company of Award Mhlanga who is still at large when they stole three solar panels worth $429 000 from Sikabela community borehole and was alone when he stole an electric fence from Mhofu Farm in the same area before clashing with two villagers, hence the disorderly and assault charges.
The magistrate slapped Ncube with a total of 47 months and suspended part of the jail term on conditions.
The magistrate sentenced Ncube to 24 months for theft of solar panels and suspended three months for five years on condition of good behaviour. The other six months were suspended on condition he restitutes the community as the solar panels were not recovered.
He was slapped with a combined eight months for disorderly conduct and assault counts before three months were set aside.
For theft of electric fence, Ncube was sentenced to 15 months of which nine months were suspended on condition he restitutes $160 880 being the value of the fence. Ncube will serve an effective 26 months in jail.
Prosecuting, Mrs Sithabile Daka-Mungombe said Ncube committed the crimes between January and last month.
“On the 8th day of January and at Sikabela village, the accused in the company of Ward Mhlanga who is at large proceeded to the community solar water pump and took three solar panels. The matter came to light when Mr Emmanuel Nyathi who refused to accompany the two to steal the solar panels informed Mr Bernard Ncube and a report was made to the police,” said the prosecutor.
Mr Ncube is Sikabela village representative.
The court was told that on August 4, Ncube cut 5×600 metres of electric wire valued at $160 880 from Mhofu Farm in Sikabela in the company of a juvenile aged 17 who was not arrested.
On the disorderly conduct and theft counts committed on May 1, Ncube who was drunk pelted Mr Lufu Shoko’s homestead with stones in the same area while insulting him with unprintable vulgar language before slapping another villager Mr Godknows Nkomo in an argument. —@ncubeleon Ckd TD
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