Chicken ‘thief’ electrocuted

By Patrick Chitumba

A suspected chicken thief was electrocuted while stealing chickens from a fowl run at a house in Mkoba 5 suburb in Gweru.

Clayton Machova (21) was electrocuted while trying to disconnect power to the fowl run using a pair of pliers.

Midlands provincial police spokesperson Inspector Joel Goko confirmed the incident which happened on Wednesday.

He said by the time he was electrocuted, Machova had removed one chicken from the fowl run and placed it in a plastic dish in which he intended to use to carry his loot.

“I can confirm that we are investigating a matter in which Clayton Machova from Mkoba 5 was electrocuted while in the process of stealing chickens from a fowl run that is at a house in the same village,” said Insp Goko.

When The Chronicle visited the house on Wednesday morning, Machova’s body was still at the scene.

Police officers and electricians from Zesa were also at the scene with the latter inspecting power connections at the house.

Machova’s uncle who is also former councillor for Ward 11, Mr Lawrence Rutsvara, said they were still in shock following the death of Machova.

“I was called to the scene this morning by the people from this house who managed to identify Clayton who is my relative. Clayton was known in this area and it’s unfortunate he died while stealing chickens from people known to us. I’m told he was electrocuted around 1AM when these people heard a loud scream. They said they didn’t go out until around 5AM when they discovered his lifeless body,” he said.

The owners of the fowl run who refused to be identified said they heard a loud scream for help but were afraid to go outside.

“We waited for sunrise and that’s when we saw his body in a sitting position on top of the dust bin. The pliers he was using was on the power cable he was attempting to cut,” said one of the family members. The Chronicle