Faith Mabuto Midlands Reporter
A GWERU couple and three accomplices who stole Dynamos replica jerseys worth $85,000 from a truck driver were yesterday sentenced to six years in prison.
Provincial magistrate Musaiwona Shotgame convicted Cephas Banda, 23, Langton Mpofu, 23, Mark Mack, Zvauya Ngulube and Charles Singano of Mkoba Village, of theft. Zvauya Ngulube is married to Mark Mack. The five will each serve two years after Shotgame conditionally suspended four years.
“You wasted the court’s time by denying the crime and the court will not take that lightly. What you did was wrong and it shows you planned the offence,” said Shotgame.
“You’re sentenced to six years imprisonment of which one year is suspended on condition you don’t commit a similar offence. A further three years is suspended on condition you each restitute the complainant $8,839,20 before November 30 this year”.
Prosecutor Kelvin Guvheya told the court that on July 8 last year, Tendai Chaponda was contracted by BancABC to transport 3,358 Dynamos Football Club replica soccer jerseys from Bulawayo to Harare.
He said the jerseys were packed in 19 bags and were to be delivered to Dynamos offices at the National Sports Stadium.
Guvheya said 495 Tanganda T-shirts were also packed in three bags and were to be delivered to Tanganda head office in Harare.
He said the bags were loaded in a truck driven by John Mpekeni.
“On approaching a road construction zone which was about 10km along the Gweru-Kwekwe Highway, Mpekeni stopped at the detour giving way to oncoming traffic and observed a Honda Fit parked about one metre off the road,” said Guvheya.
He said Mpekeni did not notice Banda, Mpofu and Singano offloading nine bags containing 1,700 Dynamos replica soccer jerseys and three bags containing 450 Tanganda T-shirts from the truck.
“Mpekeni proceeded with his journey and discovered the offence in Chegutu where he made a report,” Guvheya said.
He said on July 13, police got information that one Itai Gumbo was in possession of one of the stolen jerseys.
The court heard Gumbo said he bought the jersey from Mack.
“227 Dynamos jerseys and 91 Tanganda T-shirts were recovered at Mack’s residence in Mkoba 17. A further 108 Dynamos jerseys were recovered at Banda’s residence and he led police to the recovery of 560 jerseys from various shops he had supplied,” Guvheya said.
The court heard Mpofu and Singano were arrested following investigations.
“Goods worth $45,187 were recovered from the $85,000 jerseys that were stolen,” said the prosecutor.