By Dumisani Ndlovu
Luckmore Mutsindiko, a 29-year-old resident of Shackleton Compound in Lionsden, Chinhoyi, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for stealing a power cable.
The Chinhoyi Magistrates’ Court found him guilty of violating the Electricity Act in connection with the theft that occurred on December 31, 2021.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), Mutsindiko and an accomplice, Clackson Mutsindiko, who remains at large, targeted Athens Farm in Chinhoyi. They cut and stole a 30-meter armoured cable that supplied electricity from a transformer to a pump house. After the theft, they attempted to burn the cable in a nearby bush to remove its insulation.
A security guard on patrol noticed the crime and alerted his team. They followed the tracks and found Mutsindiko in the bush, where he was arrested. The stolen cable was valued at US$1,125, but only cables worth US$20 were recovered.
In a related case, Bright Maturura, 34, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for illegally diverting electricity to his tuckshop at Matema Business Centre in Nyanga. Maturura connected a power cable directly from the grid, which was discovered by ZESA employees in December 2022. His actions cost ZESA US$8,712. However, his sentence was suspended on the condition that he completes 420 hours of community service at Matema Primary School
