10 years for telephone cable theft

By Mayor

Norton magistrate Tracy Muzondo has slapped a telephone cable thief with an effective 10-year jail term.

Tatenda Chimbarara (18), of no fixed abode was convicted on his own plea of guilty.

According to the State, represented by Tinashe Mutsikadoo, Chimbarara was nabbed by law enforcement agents in the early hours of June 10 while in the act of cutting telephone cables in Norton’s Calfar section.

The law enforcers were acting on a tip-off.

His accomplice fled the scene and are still at large.

Chimbarara led the police to where they were hiding their loot and 700m of cable was recovered.

He told the court that they have a ready market for the cables, where they were being paid cash on delivery.

Meanwhile, one Collen Kahondo of Mhondoro escaped with a wholly suspended sentence before Norton magistrate Barbra Chimboza after being convicted of theft on his own plea of guilty.

He admitted to stealing 1000 building bricks belonging to one Pemberayi November on June 9 in Mhondoro. All the bricks were recovered.

After recognising that Kahondo had saved the court’s time by pleading guilty and also that all stolen goods were recovered, magistrate Chimboza slapped him with a two months imprisonment which was wholly suspended for five years on condition that he does not, during that period, fall foul of the law in similar fashion. H-Metro