Online Reporter
Moreblessing Ncube
WHAT started as a smooth inside job turned into a full-blown comedy of errors after three ZINWA workers fumbled their stolen loot, fought like toddlers in public, and ended up handing themselves to police, without even knowing it!
Panashe Madondo (29) of Budiriro, along with his fellow schemers Lesly Meda and Tani Ngongola, pulled off what they probably thought was the heist of the month. Ten juicy PVC pipes vanished from ZINWA’s Belmont depot in Bulawayo, only for the trio to sell them off for a meagre US$400.
But as soon as the cash hit the palms, loyalty went out the window.
Witnesses at a shop in Barham Green were treated to a live drama when the three men, still in their ZINWA gear, started arguing loudly over the loot. It wasn’t long before slaps were nearly exchanged and spectators began recording the squabble.
“They were shouting at each other, accusing one another of taking a bigger cut. One of them kept screaming ‘Handisi mwana wako iwe!’ while the other kept saying ‘Ko $100 yangu yakaenda kupi?’” said a stunned witness.
Unbeknownst to them, a sharp-eared shopper who doubles as a whistle-blower had already called ZINWA Loss Control Officer Joseph Munyaradzi.
“There are ZINWA workers fighting over stolen goods!” the tipster blurted over the hotline.
Munyaradzi launched an investigation, sniffed out the truth, and got Meda to crack like a cheap PVC pipe. Meda confessed everything; from the theft to the sale of the pipes to one Shelton Muzenda, who had them delivered to General Maseko’s farm in Umguza.
The police at Western Commonage were roped in, and the stolen pipes were swiftly recovered.
Madondo appeared in court, where Magistrate Maxwell Ncube gave him two choices; pay US$400 or enjoy six months of state-sponsored plumbing in jail
