POLICE in Gwanda have bust a suspected five-member cattle rustling syndicate involving a cop and a husband to a police officer. ALBERT NCUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT
Constable Wilson Mutazwa (32), who is based at Guyu Police Station and his alleged accomplice Tafadzwa Goremusandu (29) of New Gwanda Police Camp yesterday appeared before Gwanda magistrate Sheila Nazombe facing stocktheft charges.
They allegedly stole six beef master breeding bulls belonging to a white commercial farmer based in Gwanda.
Three of their alleged accomplices are still on the run.
Nazombe remanded the two out of custody to March 5 on $250 bail each.
Court proceedings took a dramatic turn when the investigating officer Inspector Kennedy Chiriga, the member-in-charge of Gwanda Police Station, took to the witness stand to oppose the granting of bail dressed in police uniform.
Mutazwa complained that he felt intimidated by his boss giving evidence while in uniform forcing an adjournment of court proceedings to give Chiriga time to go and change.
Chiriga told the court that he knew Mutazwa as his junior in the police force and Goremusandu as his neighbour at the police camp where he stayed with his wife, who is a police officer.
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The accused’s father is also a police officer.
Chiriga said the accused persons were facing a serious offence and were likely to abscond if granted bail.
He said their three alleged accomplices were on the run and the two accused persons were likely to interfere with investigations.
In granting the duo bail, Nazombe said the State had failed to prove that the accused persons were a flight risk.
She said Mutazwa and Goremusandu both resided in police camps and it was going to be easy to monitor their movements.
The magistrate also ordered that the accused persons surrender their travel documents, reside at given addresses until the matter was finalised and report every Monday and Friday to the Gwanda Anti-Stocktheft Police Unit, and not to interfere with State witnesses.
The court heard that sometime last week, Mutazwa took a duplicate livestock clearance form on which he endorsed the description of six bulls belonging to Joseph Alexander Stewart of Insindi Ranch.
The bulls had ear tags belonging to Stewart, but were cleared as belonging to Lebang Moyo, who is on the run.
Mutazwa reportedly gave the clearance to Goremusandu who proceeded to the Veterinary Department and obtained a permit using Moyo’s name.
Goremusandu allegedly organised Lodwin Moyo and David Sibanda, who are still at large, to load the bulls into a hired truck to Bulawayo.
The beasts were sold and slaughtered at Montana Abattoir on Sunday.
Goremusandu was arrested when he went to collect money from the abattoir and implicated Mutazwa and the trio which is still at large.
The value of the stolen bulls is $6 000.
Mutazwa is set to be arrested upon his release tomorrow morning as he has been implicated in another stocktheft case.
