Pardoned convict in court for theft

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Sylvester Chiramba/ Leonard Ncube, Chronicle Reporters
A Bulawayo man who was released from jail on the Presidential pardon on Monday was arrested hours later for allegedly stealing property worth $670 in Tshabalala suburb.

On his way home from jail, Roland Ncube (30) from Nkulumane suburb allegedly broke a toilet window and gained access into Mr Asiwet Munemo’s house in Tshabalala.  He allegedly stole $150 and property which includes a 42 inch television set, a mobile phone, blankets, clothes and some groceries.

Police officers who were on patrol saw him carrying the stolen property around 11PM.

Ncube pleaded guilty to unlawful entry charges when he appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube yesterday.

However, he told the court that he only stole the television set and mobile phone.

“I broke into the house and stole the television and Nokia phone only but I never stole any money, clothes or blankets,” he said.

Mr Ncube remanded him in custody to April 6 for trial.

Prosecuting, Mr Petros Shoko said on Monday at around 11PM Ncube went to Mr Munemo’s house, who had gone to his rural home in Buhera.

“He smashed the toilet window to gain entry into the house,” said Mr Shoko.

“The accused stole a 42 inch plasma TV, a Nokia cellphone, two blankets, 2kgs rice, 2kgs sugar, 2 litres of cooking oil, a pair of shoes and some clothes.”

The court heard that the property stolen is valued at $670 and property worth $276 was recovered.

Meanwhile, John Ncube from Lupane who was serving a jail term for assaulting his father has allegedly escaped from prison after missing out on the Presidential amnesty.

President Mnangagwa last week pardoned thousands of prisoners as part of measures to decongest the prisons whose population had ballooned to about 20 000.

Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) spokesperson for Matabeleland North, Bothwell Bosha said investigations are underway to establish the circumstances around Ncube’s escape from Lupane Prison on Monday.

“I can confirm that an inmate John Ncube who was serving an effective 21 months after being convicted of physical abuse escaped from prison on Monday. We are still investigating to establish how he escaped,” said Bosha.

Ncube was sentenced on February 19 this year at the Lupane magistrates’ court for beating up his father.  The Chronicle could not readily get circumstances of the physical abuse case.  A case of escaping from lawful custody was opened against Ncube after a report was made to the police.

Last year in September an inmate escaped from Victoria Falls Prison where he was on remand.  Jabulani Nyoni, a self-proclaimed prophet who doubles as a tsikamutanda escaped around 3pm when he and other inmates were watching a soccer match on TV. He allegedly claimed that he bribed a prison officer who assisted him to escape.  Nyoni was rearrested a few days later and transferred to Khami Maximum Prison pending finalisation of his cases.—@ncubeleon

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