In a recent wave of criminal proceedings in Zimbabwe, four men appeared before the courts facing varying offences including theft of 32 laptops, stock theft and raping 8-year-old girls.
In the first case, Rodney Nyoni (26) was sentenced to 28 months in prison for stealing 32 laptops worth USD 6,500 from his workplace at Trade Centre, Victoria Falls. In a statement seen by Pindula News, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said Rodney Nyoni was arraigned before the Victoria Falls Magistrates Court facing theft of trust property charges. Read the statement:
The brief facts are that some time between the month of November 2023 and the 24th of January 2024 the accused person who was employed by the complainant to sell laptops at Trade Centre in Victoria Falls stole 32 laptops that were in his custody. The matter came to light when the complainant who stays in Harare visited the shop in Victoria Falls and discovered that the accused person could not account for 32 laptops. The matter was reported to the Police leading to the accused person’s arrest. The total value stolen was USD6 500 and nothing was recovered.
The accused person was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment 12 months were suspended on condition that the accused person pays restitution. He will serve 28 months effective.
In the second case of stock theft, Greyham Mpofu (50) and Prince Ncube (32) were brought before a Tsholotsho Magistrate facing stock theft charges for stealing a heifer valued at ZAR 5,000 in Tsholotsho. The NPA said sometime in April 2022 the accused persons allegedly connived to steal one stray heifer which was being kept at Thembi Siboni’s homestead, Nhlangano village in Tsholotsho. The accused persons drove the heifer to the Magwadini area in Nyamandlovu where they sold it to one Lumuno Ncube who then put an ear tag on the heifer. The matter came to light when the heifer went back to Thembi Siboni’s homestead sometime in March 2023 where it was identified by a herdman. The matter was brought before the village Headman who summoned Lumuno Ncube. Lumuno Ncube identified the heifer as the one that he had bought from the accused persons. The matter was reported to the Police leading to the accused person’s arrest.
The heifer is valued at ZARS 000. The accused persons were granted USD50 bail each.
In the third case, Gift Nyathi (46) received a 20-year prison sentence for raping two eight-year-old girls in Ndlovu Village, Lupane, after luring them to his home. Gift Nyathi appeared before the Hwange Magistrates Court facing two counts of rape. The State told the court that on the 29th of November 2023 at around 1600 hours, the two eight-year-old complainants were sent by their guardian to go and collect a phone at one of their neighbour’s homes in Ndlovu Village, Lupane. On their way, they were called by the accused person who is also their neighbour but they refused to comply.
The accused person waylaid the unsuspecting girls on their way back. He grabbed each girl by the wrist and dragged them to his homestead where he locked them up in his bedroom. He then lifted the first complainant and put her on the bed before raping her. When he had finished raping the first complainant he proceeded to rape the second complainant. He then opened the door and tried to give the two girls some buns but they refused. He also threatened to assault them with his catapult if they told anyone. The matter came to light when the two complainants reported the matter to their sister during the school holiday. Their sister reported the matter to their guardian.
The accused person was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.