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Mildred Sithole, Midlands Reporter
A SHURUGWI man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for stealing copper cables worth more than $78 000 at Unki Mine.

Maxwell Ndokanga (39) of Maganga Village under Chief Banga in Shurugwi, who stole the copper cables while working for a company contracted to do some work at Unki Mine appeared before Gweru regional magistrate Mrs Phathekile Msipa facing charges of theft and contravening the Electricity Act.

He was convicted on his own plea of guilty to cutting, damaging or interfering with any apparatus or material made for generation or supply of electricity.

In passing sentence, Mrs Msipa said crimes of this nature attract a mandatory sentence of not less than 10 years unless there are spe­cial circumstances.

She said in the case of Ndokanga, the court found none.

“The accused is sentenced to 20 years in prison of which two years of the sentence are suspended for five years on a condition that you do not commit a similar crime and a further two years are suspended on a condition that you restitute $77 779.30 to the complainant,” said Mrs Msipa

Prosecuting Mr Talent Tadenyika told the court that on January 6 this year at around midnight Ndokanga and his accomplices Tendai Sekandini and Obert Muguti hatched a plan to steal some copper cables from a dam site at Unki Mine.

“Ndokanga and Sekandini were driven by Muguti in a Nissan Caravan to Unki Mines tailings dam’s western gate where they used a hacksaw to cut the chain which secured the gate and gained entry,” said Mr Tadenyika.

“They approached the switchboard where they switched off electricity and they used the hacksaw to cut 3×260 metres of trailing cables which connected two barge pumps in the dam used for recycling water from the dam to the plant. They further cut 3×99 metres of flexible cables which were connected to the tailings dam lights.”

Mr Tadenyika said the suspects also stole 500m of armoured copper cables.

“While still at the dam, Ndokanga and his colleagues entered the fenced surge tanks nearby and stole 500m of armoured copper cable which was on a roll. After cutting the cables, they took them for a distance of about 400m where they loaded them into the vehicle.

“They took the loot to Ndokanga’s homestead at Maganga Village where they left it for safekeeping, burning and processing,” said Mr Tadenyika.

The court heard that on January 11 this year, Ndokanga and Muguti loaded the loot into a Nissan Caravan vehicle and drove through Shurugwi town where they picked Sekandini and headed to Harare to sell it.

On January 12 at around 4AM, Ndokanga and his colleagues were stopped for a search at a police roadblock in Chegutu.

“When they pulled off the road Ndokanga, Sekandini and Muguti disembarked from the vehicle and ran away into a nearby maize field. The vehicle was searched and the copper scraps were recovered stashed in sacks,” said Mr Tadenyika.

“Ndokanga left his satchel, Unki Mine identity card and his Gtel X5 cellphone.

On March 19 at around 12.30AM Ndokanga was arrested at his home and he made indications at the crime scene.”

His two accomplices are still at large.