adminMelusi Mangena (27), of Number 4583/4 Magwegwe North, and two other alleged accomplices only identified as Khabo and Thandanani who are still at large, allegedly cut about 5 400 metres of Zesa overhead copper cables near Ingwenya Dam and Maqaqeni area in Mbembesi last week on Wednesday.
Mangena was arrested when he went to Mbembesi Police Station trying to negotiate with the police to release a vehicle that had been allegedly recovered at the site of the commission of the crime.
He had allegedly misrepresented to the police that the vehicle had been impounded for a traffic offence.
Mangena was on Wednesday arraigned before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Shepherd Munjanja, to answer to a charge of cutting, damaging, destroying or interfering with any apparatus for generating, transmitting, distributing or supplying of electricity.
He indicated that he would plead not guilty to the offence and was remanded in custody to 21 June.
The State alleges that Mangena and the two alleged accomplices committed the offence between 11pm on Wednesday and 5am the following morning.
The court heard that after going for the whole night without electricity, detectives at Mbembesi Police Station suspected the power line had been tampered with since theft of cables was rife in the area.
A patrol team was deployed along the power line and discovered that there were loose cables hanging from poles prompting investigations.
While investigating, the police saw a white Toyota Quantum without number plates parked near the scene.
The detectives noticed that there were bundles of copper cables near the road and laid an ambush.
It is alleged that after about 30 minutes, the police saw one of the suspects approaching the place where the cut cables were hidden but he fled when they approached him.
The court heard that the police fired warning shots in the air but the suspect did not stop.
A back-up team was sent from the station but no suspect was arrested.
Detectives from the Minerals Unit in Bulawayo later attended the scene and smashed one window of the locked vehicle to gain entry whereupon they recovered one bundle of copper cables under the back seat.
They also recovered the vehicle’s number plates hidden under the driver’s seat, a Nokia phone and some documents with one Sipho Maphosa’s details.
The police used the phone to trace the owner of the vehicle, one Thandazani Mangena, who kept phoning inquiring about the whereabouts of the vehicle not knowing the phone was picked by the police.
The court heard that Thandazani told the police that he had given the vehicle to his cousin Mangena.
Thandazani led the police to Mangena’s place of residence in Magwegwe North but they could not find him.
Upon his arrest later on, Mangena implicated Khabo and Thandanani.
He allegedly attempted to escape while police were searching his house but they overpowered him.
The recovered copper cables weighing about 468 kilogrammes and are valued at $7 020.
Mr Malvern Nzombe appeared for the State.
Online Reporter