Forging DStv trademark backfires Trio jailed for $30 robbery
ADVERTISING products with a forged DStv trademark has backfired for a 21-year-old Harare woman who was yesterday fined $100.
Rumbidzai Evelyn Sibanda was convicted by Harare magistrate Ms Tildah Mazhandu after the State successfully proved its case.
Sibanda was given up to November 17 this year to pay the fine or face 30 days in prison.
DStv was represented by Pardon Matikiti, the company’s risk manager.
Prosecutor Shumirai Nhira proved that Sibanda and her colleagues, who have since appeared in court on the same charge, contravened Section 85(1)(a) of the Trademark Act (Chapter 26:05), which prohibits “performing a service to which a forged registered trademark is applied”.
It is the State’s case that on October 23 this year, members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police and Matikiti received information that Sibanda was selling products masquerading as a DStv agent.
Police from the licence inspectorate and CID Studios proceeded to 75 Charter THREE Harare men will spend the next three years in prison for stealing goods worth $30 from a house in Mt Pleasant at knifepoint.
Tatenda Chiura, Brighton Chokwenda (both aged 27) and Rashford Banda (29) pleaded guilty to armed robbery charges when they appeared before magistrate Ms Josephine Sande.
Banda was once employed at the house as a gardener and according to his testimony, he owed Chiura and Chokwenda some money so they hatched a plan to rob his former employer.
The trio roped in a female accomplice who is still at large.
Ms Sande sentenced them to four years each in jail before setting aside one year on each term on condition of
Road where Sibanda operates from, and conducted a search.
During the search, police discovered that Sibanda was selling MultiChoice decoders and registering them good behaviour.
They will now serve three effective years behind bars. The prosecutor Miss Audrey Chogumaira urged the court to impose a custodial sentence saying a fine or community service would trivialise the offence and the court concurred.
On November 6, the trio connived with their female accomplice who is still at large and hatched a plan to steal from Banda’s former employer.
The quartet proceeded to house number 350 Twickenham Drive, Mt Pleasant. On arrival at the house, the gang scaled the precast wall and proceeded to the domestic workers’ quarters.
The gang confronted the gardener Charles Katawa and manhandled him before tying his hands and legs with a piece of cloth and left him in his room.
with MultiChoice South Africa using addresses in South Africa when, in fact, the customers were in Zimbabwe.
It was also discovered that Sibanda was advertising the same products with
They then proceeded to the main house where they manhandled the maid, Sarudzai Muchadenyika. One of them took a kitchen knife and threatened to stab Muchadenyika if she did not comply with their demands.
They tied her hands and legs and ordered her not to scream and ransacked the house and stole Muchadenyika’s mobile phone, a worksuit and two small empty safe boxes all valued at $30.
The court further heard that the gang also took a plastic bag, which contained old Zimbabwean coins.
As they were busy ransacking the house, Katawa managed to untie himself and alerted neighbours.
The trio was apprehended while still inside the house, but their female accomplice managed to escape with the loot.
a forged DStv trademark, thereby deceiving customers that she was a registered MultiChoice agent.
Police seized 19 DStv decoders during the search.