Harare Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Stealing TelOne Cables Worth Just US$16
In a harsh sentence that highlights the severity of infrastructure theft, a Harare man has been handed a 10-year jail term for stealing TelOne copper cables valued at a mere US$16.
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Accused Caught Red-Handed
Sylvester Huche, 26, appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court charged with violating the Postal and Telecommunications Act after being caught with three meters of TelOne drop wires.
On July 29, 2024, at around 12:15 a.m., Huche was walking along Matleybent Road in Belvedere with a black plastic bag when security officers Caleb Kuwarunza and Edmore Jombo, who were conducting checks in the area, stopped him.
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Harare Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Stealing TelOne Cables Worth Just US$16
Upon searching Huche, they found three meters of TelOne drop wires and pliers. He was promptly arrested and handed over to the police. The police valued the recovered wires at US$16.
Despite the relatively low monetary value of the stolen property, Huche was sentenced to the mandatory penalty of 10 years imprisonment for contravening the Postal and Telecommunications Act.
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NRZ Celebrates As Railway Robbers Sentenced to 5 Years Each
In a separate case, two men, Tafadzwa Ncube and Ishmael Taderera, were caught stealing ballast from a railway line near the Empress turn-off in Kadoma. They have been sentenced to five years each for vandalism under the Railways Act.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) welcomed the stiff penalties imposed by the courts, saying that they applaud the efforts to curb the damaging trend of infrastructure theft in the country.
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