A ZAMBIAN and a Malawian, who have been accused of committing a series of unlawful entry and theft crimes from various hotels and lodges they were booked in, have requested the court to allow them to seek legal representation before their trial takes off. SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Maurice Bamusi Ngoda (36) of Lusaka in Zambia and Mwansa Chungu (28) of Blantyre in Malawi were not asked to plead to unlawful entry and theft charges when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya.
They asked the court to allow them some time to engage a lawyer to represent them during trial.
The magistrate remanded them in custody to January 30, when they are expected to have secured the services of a lawyer.
The court heard that on October 23 last year, the complainant Nalishebo Litau (55) a Zambian from Lusaka, had booked a room at Zaks place in Bulawayo.
While she was out of her room, the two, who had duplicate keys, entered the room and stole property worth $5 824 and nothing was recovered when they were arrested on January 14 2015.
On November 2 last year, another complainant Silot Mawire (47) of Ruwa in Harare booked a room at Cecil Hotel in Bulawayo, where the two were already booked.
Between 7:48pm and 8:30pm, they went to her room with duplicate keys and allegedly stole property worth $750.
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On the same day, another complainant, Cornilious Ngezi (48) of Bluffhill, Harare, booked a room at the same hotel and the two opened his room while he was away and stole property worth $2 800.
On January 3 2015 Mitanura Tetsou (46) a Japanese national, was accommodated at Burnside and the two, with Michael Banda, who is still at large, hatched a plan to break into the room, where the Japanese kept his property and they stole property worth $720.
Only property worth $200 was recovered after their arrest.
It is the State case that on the same day, the two also broke into a room, which was booked by Isabel Banyah (19) a Belgian, at Burkes Paradise Lodge and stole property worth $250.
They also broke into another room booked by another Belgian, Heylen Nel (23) at the same lodge and stole property worth $450 and only property worth $150 was recovered at their arrest.
The two are also alleged to have stolen property from Honoured Mautsi (23) of Avondale in Harare on January 4 at 5pm, after they broke into a room he was booked in at Standard Hotel.
They allegedly stole property worth $1 185 and property worth only $200 was recovered. It is the State case that they also broke into a room booked by Sonia Mbuya (29) of Magwegwe in Bulawayo at Selborne Hotel on January 5 and stole property worth $420.
A report made by the complainants led to their arrest and they have since reportedly confessed to having broken into some of the rooms and stolen property.
The total property stolen was worth $12 399 and only property worth $550 was recovered.
