TWO Harare men were yesterday arraigned before Victoria Falls Magistrates’ Courts facing allegations of looting company property worth $26 000.
Own correspondent
Shepherd Balango (43) and Mugove Kandawasvika (43) originally from Harare and now resident in Chinotimba, appeared before the town’s resident magistrate Sharon Rosemani.
Balango pleaded guilty to the theft charges, while Kandawasvika denied them.
However, Balango implicated Kandawasvika in the crime, saying they had planned it together.
“We planned with my second accused to steal the original key to the storeroom and we made a duplicate,” he said.
“It is the one that we used at night on several occasions stealing company goods that were packed in boxes.
“We did not know that they had started noticing that some things were missing and they secretly put hidden cameras in the storeroom.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
That’s how I was caught. My colleague had remained outside on that day watching to ensure we were not caught, that is why he was not on camera.”
It was the State’s case that on July 28, Lenora Yvonne Jones discovered that they were crocodile skin belts missing in one of the sealed cardboard box.
She then looked in other boxes and discovered that more stuff was missing and she advised her employer, who then instructed her to hide a motion sensitive camera among the boxes.
On October 14, Jones collected the camera and examined the footage.
He discovered that Balango, an employee of the Croc Afrique Elephant Walk, was stealing from the boxes of leather products.
A stocktake was conducted and it was discovered that 516 Binga belts, crocodile skins, 75 assorted colour ostrich leather body panels, 90 leather skins leg panels, 130 hippo leather assorted colours, 80 crust leather splits, 42 crocodile horns back skin, 27 crocodile belly skins, 550 crocodile back skins, three leather bags, 350 leather wallets, 175 belt linings, 65 elephant leather and 170 false print elephant leather were found missing, while awaiting to be exported.
On October 28, Balango was arrested and he implicated Kandawasvika, who he said stood guard while he went into the storeroom and also sent the loot to the buyer, who deals in animal skins in Harare, known as Trust Makaya.
Rosemani granted the two bail of $200 each on condition they surrender their travel documents, not interfere with witnesses and to report every week at the police.
The trial continues on December 9.
