Chronicle Editor
Brenda Zinyuke, Court Reporter
TWO Bulawayo teenagers will each serve an effective 15 months in prison for stealing a cellphone worth R5 000 from an elderly man in the central business district.
Emmanuel Tedius Ndlovu and Brian Moyo both aged 18 and from Nguboyenja suburb were in the company of an unknown accused person who is still at large when they connived to steal a Samsung cellphone belonging to Mr Simon Nyathi (76) of Luveve 5 suburb.
Ndlovu and Moyo pleaded guilty to theft when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Nomasiko Ndlovu.
The duo apologised before the court and pleaded with the magistrate to be lenient with them.
They said they stole the phone because they wanted to buy food and clothes for Christmas.
However, the magistrate sentenced each of them to nine months in prison and added six months to the sentence from previous convictions.
“The two accused persons are not first-time offenders. Last week they were convicted and sentenced to a wholly suspended six months in prison for a similar offence. Today they are here again and have been convicted of a similar offence. It appears the two have found a career in depriving people of their property,” said the magistrate.
“As such a severe sentence is necessary to punish them so that they do not commit a similar offence. It is for this reason that each accused person is sentenced to nine months in prison, in addition six months suspended on condition that CRB2824AB/19 is brought to effect. Thus, each accused person will serve an effective 15 months in prison.”
Prosecuting, Ms Memory Matare said on Tuesday this week at around 9AM outside the Registrar General’s offices located at Corner Herbert Chitepo Street and 10th Avenue, the trio approached and surrounded Mr Nyathi blocking him from moving.
“The first accused person searched the complainant’s pockets and took the cellphone which he gave to the second accused person,” said the prosecutor.
The trio fled from the scene but Ndlovu and Moyo were later arrested by police officers who were on patrol at Makokoba suburb.
The stolen cellphone was recovered. — @zinyuke98
Online Reporter