A 30-year-old man from Mutare, Josiah Saungweme, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by the Magistrate’s Court for a violent incident involving his employer’s vehicle and cash during a dispute over unpaid wages.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the incident occurred on July 14, 2024, around 9 AM.
Saungweme, hailing from Musi Homestead in Mutare, confronted his employer at the workplace in Doornfontein Vantage, demanding payment for wages owed to him.
In a fit of rage, Saungweme forcibly took the keys to his employer’s beige Nissan X-Trail and coerced the employer and other workers into the vehicle. He then demanded cash, resulting in the employer surrendering US$260 to him.
Saungweme drove the stolen vehicle to Whitehouse Shopping Centre. On the return trip, he became aggressive, pushing one of the workers out of the car when the worker objected to his behaviour.
Upon returning to Doornfontein, Saungweme exited the vehicle, retrieved a machete from a wooden cabin, and threatened everyone inside before fleeing in the car. The stolen vehicle contained a Redmi cellphone belonging to the complainant.
The complainant reported the incident to the ZRP Dzivarasekwa, leading to Saungweme’s arrest on September 14, 2024, by detectives from CID Mutare at Bezel Bridge.
He guided the detectives to the recovery of the vehicle, which had been abandoned in the Wengezi area of Mutare.
The cellphone was later located in Zvimba. The total value of the stolen vehicle was assessed at US$5,000.
Ultimately, Saungweme received a sentence of 10 years in prison, with 2 years suspended, resulting in an effective eight-year term.
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