By Jeffrey Muvundusi
Two Bulawayo men who looted goods worth more than $11 000 at a Nketa 9 supermarket during the January protests have been caged five years behind bars after they were positively identified through the supermarket’s CCTV footage.
Celtone Hlongwane, 26, and Phathisani Dube, 24, appeared before magistrate Tinashe Tashaya facing unlawful entry and theft charges.
The duo pleaded guilty to the charge and they were sentenced to an effective four years in prison, and a whole year was suspended on condition of good behaviour.
The court heard that the duo was seen on a CCTV footage breaking the padlocks on the supermarket’s entrance with an iron bar.
Hlongwane and Dube were part of a crowd which engaged in public violence at Eternity Supermarket on January 15 at around 10am.
An informant recognised the pair among a mob of protesters holding an iron bar from CCTV footage. They used the bar to break the security locks at the main entrance of the supermarket.
The pair and other protesters gained entry and into the supermarket where goods worth a total of $11 923.00 were looted and nothing was recovered, the court heard. DailyNews
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