Woes mount for jailed mbanje grower

A 67-YEAR-OLD Chipinge man — who is serving a five-year jail term for growing mbanje — was on Wednesday jailed for another 10 years for stealing ZESA aluminium cables worth $42 000.

Thomas Makhanyeza of Hunzana Village under Chief Mapungwana was in January jailed five years for dealing in dangerous drugs.

On Wednesday, Makhanyeza was back in the dock to answer to charges of contravening Section 60 (7) of the Electricity Amendment Act Chapter 13:19.

He was convicted on his own plea of guilty when he appeared before Chipinge magistrate Mr Poterai Gwezhira.

Prosecutor Mr Gift Bikita told the court that on December 27 2017, Makhanyeza was arrested by police for cultivating illegal plants in his field for commercial purposes.

Upon interrogation, he revealed where he was growing mbanje, after which police found 94 plants of mbanje measuring between 1,5 metres to two metres.

Mr Bikita said when detectives conducted further searches, they discovered heaps of electrical cables at his homestead.

“The accused was then questioned on how he came to possess those cables and he admitted that he stole them at Ngungunyana Forest,” said Mr Bikita.

He said the cables were recovered and taken to CID Chipinge as exhibits.

“The length of aluminium cables recovered was 1 700m and valued at $42 500,” said Mr Bikita

Mr Gwezhira sentenced Makhanyeza to 10 years for tempering with electricity cables.