Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura
A DARING Bulawayo scrap thief who thought he could outsmart Zupco security learned the hard way that crime doesn’t pay.
Muziwakhe Nyathi (55) was nabbed after he and two accomplices broke into the Zupco depot in Kelvin North and made off with scrap metal and foam rubber worth US$2 520.
Nyathi appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Archie Wochiwunga on Monday facing theft charges. He pleaded guilty and was remanded in custody to 31 July for sentencing.
Zupco was represented in court by security officer Sylvia Kandiero (42), who testified that the trio breached the depot through a damaged fence at around 5.30 PM on 13 July.
“They entered the premises and helped themselves to the scrap metal and foam rubber,” said prosecutor Mr Tafara Dzimbanhete. “But their luck ran out when alert security officers spotted them and gave chase.”
Nyathi, in a panic, tried to bolt but was swiftly apprehended by the Zupco guards and handed over to the police. The loot was recovered on the spot.
His two partners in crime vanished into thin air and are still on the run, with police launching a full-scale manhunt.
Zupco staff say the depot has become a hotspot for thieves targeting metal parts and discarded vehicle foam.
