Steven Chitsamba, 31, was caught with $2,000 worth of cables by a security guard who was manning the TelOne poles in Waterfalls. He tried to flee but the guard gave chase and caught up with him.
He was charged with contravening the Telecommunications Act that criminalises receiving or taking possession of any telecommunication infrastructure. In Zimbabwe, crimes of this nature attract a mandatory sentence of not less than 10 years unless there are special circumstances; but the court found none.
In passing sentence, Harare magistrate Donald Ndirowei said Chitsamba committed a very serious offence.
“In this case there are no special circumstances to warrant the court to disregard the mandatory sentence,” said Ndirowei.
Post published in: Africa News