The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
WHAT initially began as a search for goat carcasses after Tshefunye villagers in Tsholotsho District, Matabeleland North Province accused a local businessman of stock theft, exposed a copper cable theft syndicate that had stolen more than 300 metres of cables.
The businessman, Polani Ncube (32), who is also a cross-border transporter (umalayitsha), is said to have attracted the wrath of villagers who claimed there had been a sudden increase of stock theft, mainly goats, in the area.
Dogs are said to have been constantly seen behind Moyo’s bottle store digging up and on more than one occasion were seen to have dug up a goat hide or some other parts of goats, leading to villagers strongly suspecting that he was linked to the stock theft cases.
“Police with the assistance of villagers confronted Moyo, who claimed that as a cross-border transporter, he at times gets paid in goats and when he slaughters them, he does not eat the head and hooves, which he instead buries behind his bottle store together with the hide.
To prove his story, villagers demanded that they be allowed to dig behind the premise. Upon digging, instead of finding the goat carcasses they stumbled upon copper cables, they dug another hole and again found more copper cables.
Questioned on this find Moyo professed ignorance, claiming he was being set up,” said a source close to the investigations.
After the discovery of the cables, police are said to have demanded to search his house where they found more cables and steel amour, with other cables hidden between the base and mattress of their main bed.
“When his loot was discovered he attempted to run but a citizens’ arrest was immediately effected. He was then further questioned and he revealed that he used a bolt cutter to do the criminal act and even offered to give it to the police voluntarily.
“However, his wife then tried to be impossible claiming there was no such bolt cutter in their house, she later confessed that she had thrown the bolt cutter into their pit latrine.
Villagers then combined forces and managed to recover the bolt cutter from the pit latrine. Further investigations revealed that the cables had been stolen from 19 different points from Tshefunye right up to Tsholotsho Centre. Moyo said he intended selling them in South Africa,” said the source.
Matabeleland North police provincial spokesperson Inspector Glory Banda confirmed the incident, saying the accused is now expected to appear in court facing theft charges.
“On 2 February 2022 the police received a case of theft of copper cables by a then unknown person, which had affected nine shops at Tshefunye Business Centre. A tip was later received from members of the public which led to the arrest of the accused.
“Upon interrogation, he admitted to the crime leading to the recovery of some cables at his home. The value of the stolen cables is US$1 500 and only cables valued at US$700 were recovered. We would especially like to encourage members of the public to continue working with the police in availing information that will help weed out corrupt elements,” said Insp Banda.
The country has seen an increase in copper cable thefts which has resulted in a number of areas going without electricity as the power utility struggles to replace them. That has seen some individuals and companies being forced to purchase aluminium cables to replace them.
