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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
A HEADMAN and two village heads from Figtree in Bulilima District have been fined $400 each for stealing scrap metal worth $96 000 and selling it for $2 000.

In addition, the trio was each sentenced to a wholly suspended 12 months in prison.

Headman Israel Tokwana (62), Andrew Ncube (63) and Partson Ncube (67) took four electric motors, a fan motor, two scooper electricals, a dam scooper, a car body and chassis which belongs to Mbokodo Abattoir owner, Mr Erick Noel York, from Fairview Business Centre.

They sold the property for $2 000.

Plumtree magistrate, Mr Taurai Manwere convicted the trio on their own plea of guilty to theft.

They were each ordered to pay the fine September 30 or go to prison for six months.

“In addition, you are each sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, which is wholly suspended on condition that you do not within the next five years commit a similar offence,” said the magistrate.

In his defence Tokwana told the court that he had assumed that the equipment had been abandoned.

“As community leaders we realised that the scrap metal had been there unattended for a long time and we assumed that it had been abandoned. We have an ongoing project of building a school in our area and we thought we could sell the equipment and raise money for the project.

“We are in the process of building two classroom blocks and 20 pit latrines and we thought the money would come in handy. We didn’t know that the equipment had an owner. We genuinely thought that we were doing a good thing for the community,” he said.

Prosecuting, Mr Zorodzai Pengapenga said two men arrived in Figtree area looking for scrap metal to buy. He said Tokwana pointed out that they had it within the ward referring to material that belonged to Mr York.

He said Tokwana authorised the sale of the property and assigned Andrew and Partson to show the mentioned scrap metals to the buyers.

“The trio made an agreement with the buyers and agreed to sell the property at $2 000. They received $800 as part payment on August 6. The buyers went on to collect the scrap metal but were intercepted after Mr York had received a tip off on the deal that the community leaders had made,” he said.

Mr Pengapenga said the stolen property is valued at $96 000 and everything was recovered. — @DubeMatutu.