Street lights solar panels thief jailed
A 21-YEAR-OLD villager from Chisuma outside Victoria Falls has been sentenced to 12 months in jail for stealing solar panels from street lights in the resort town.
Marshal Tshuma of Dibutibu Village in Chisuma under Chief Mvutu, becomes the third person to be arrested in two months over the theft of solar panels and solar batteries from street lights in Victoria Falls.
Tshuma was convicted on his own plea of guilty when he appeared before Victoria Falls magistrate Ms Linda Dzvene on Saturday.
He was sentenced to 12 months in jail but will spend an effective six months behind bars after the magistrate suspended three months on condition of good behaviour and another three months on condition that he restitute the municipality $5 830.
Tshuma told the court that he stole the panels to sell as he needed money to take his sick child to hospital.
Prosecuting, Mrs Sithabile Daka-Mungombe said Tshuma committed the crime in the company of an accomplice only identified as Bonnet who is still at large.
“During the period between January 2018 and June 2020 there was a spate of theft of solar panels and solar batteries at CBZ Buffer Zone stands.
“On 19 June at around 9PM the accused and an accomplice only identified as Bonnet went to CBZ Buffer Zone where they removed two solar panels and went away,” said the prosecutor.
Tshuma was arrested with one of the panels.
Both panels were valued at $11 660 and the one valued at $5 830 was recovered.
Solar street lights were installed by CBZ Bank as part of a US$12 million housing project launched in 2016.
Investigations are also underway to arrest thieves who allegedly stole solar panels from Matetsi Unit 6 last month.
In May police arrested Taurai Nyoni (38) and Tendai Ncube both of Makala village 5 in Jambezi who had stolen nine solar panels from the same area and exchanged them with goats in Kanyambizi.
They were each sentenced to 12 months and three months was suspended from their sentences on condition of good behaviour in the next five years.