adminMunyaradzi Doma in Zvishavane
A teenager from Maglas suburb here has been jailed for an effective three years for stealing a pirate taxi worth $4 000 he found parked at a hitch-hiking spot on Christmas Day.
Courage Takawira (18) denied car theft charges when he appeared before Zvishavane magistrate Mr Shepherd Munjanja. He was convicted on the strength of overwhelming evidence following a full trial.
Effectively, Takawira will spend three years behind bars after the magistrate conditionally suspended two years of the five-year jail term. Prosecutor Ms Sheila Mupindu told the court that on Christmas Day last year, Webster Shoko parked his Toyota FunCargo in the central business district, where he was touting for passengers.
She said Shoko left the car keys in the ignition and went about accosting potential passengers. Takawira, who was in the vicinity, jumped into the complainant’s car and drove off at high speed. The court heard that when Shoko returned with clients, he found an empty parking space. The matter was reported to the police, who recovered the vehicle after four days at Masvingo bus terminus, where Takawira had dumped it. After leaving the car, Takawira returned to Zvishavane where he was arrested by police detectives following thorough investigations.
Online Reporter