Trio nabbed over reconnection

electrician who implicated Julia Gondwa (57) and William Nyaundi (19) of Manyame Park Phase 1, denied three counts of electricity theft when they appeared before Chitungwiza magistrate Ms Olivia Mariga.

They were remanded out of custody to May 16.
Allegations against the three arose on May 4 this year when Joseph Raison, employed at Zesa Chitungwiza Depots as a Risk Controller, checked on the computers at work and discovered that their disconnected clients from Manyame Park Phase 1 were not paying their bills.
On the day in question, Raison received information from an informer Trevor Chirayi that electricity at his place was disconnected and had to pay someone US$100 for reconnection.

On another day unknown to the prosecutor, Gondwa the facilitator, advised residents of house number 3612 whose electricity was disconnected for non-payment of bills that she knew someone from Zesa who could reconnect them for a fee.
She advised them to pay US$150 for the reconnection.

When she returned after the services at 7pm to collect the money, she was advised that Nyaundi had already collected it and gave to Machada.
The following morning Machada went to the place and reconnected them.
After that they went to house number 3707 in the same area and told Angeline Mugova, repeating the same statements as before.

Nyaundi went over to the place and collected US$100 and gave it to Machada who reconnected them the following morning. The matter came to light when Chirayi made a report after he was asked to pay US$200 fine for self-reconnection at Zesa offices.
It is alleged that this was the time Raison liased with Chirayi to find more information about the bogus electrician. The following day, Raison set a trap and Chirayi represented as if he was at his house number 3856 and wanted electricity to be reconnected.

Raison came prepared with two officers when he called Machada, who said he was going to come after some minutes since he was in Zengeza 5.
Within some few minutes, Machada arrived at the place and went straight to the electricity box but was arrested before he could reconnect electricity.
Ms Caroline Kugarakuripi prosecuted.