Blessed Makumbe, a serial shoplifter, was sentenced to one year in jail after stealing groceries worth over ZW$700,000 (US$152) from a TM Pick N Pay Supermarket in Bulawayo.
Makumbe, a 32-year-old from the Emakhandeni suburb in Bulawayo pleaded not guilty but was convicted on six counts of theft. He received a two-year sentence with six months suspended, and another six months suspended for five years on the condition of no similar offences. The incidents occurred on different dates in September 2023.
What transpired:
Prosecutor Joseph Rugara told the court that on September 1 at approximately 7:35 pm, Blessed Makumbe entered TM Pick N Pay Supermarket in Bulawayo. He went to the shelves, took two sets of 6-piece tablespoons, concealed them under his jacket, and left the store without paying for them.
According to Mr. Rugara, on September 20, 2023, at around 7:42 pm, Makumbe revisited the same shop and stole two more sets of 6-piece tablespoons, managing to leave undetected.
On September 30, at approximately 7:41 pm, Makumbe returned to the supermarket and stole two additional sets of 6-piece tablespoons, hiding them under his clothes before exiting without payment. During the same month, he also took eight packs of polony unnoticed. However, Makumbe’s luck ran out when he attempted to leave with stolen items captured on CCTV.
Alerted security guards recovered the stolen goods, leading to his arrest and the recovery of all stolen items worth ZW$715,074 from his house.