Two brothers and an accomplice who were nabbed while stealing railway quarry stones were yesterday sentenced to a 10-year effective jail term by Marondera regional magistrate Clever Tsikwa.
BY Jairos Saunyama
The three were found guilty of violating Section 113 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Brothers Forbes (29), Roderick Saroti (21) and Jewel Matinenga (32), pleaded guilty to charges of interfering with the railway and train movement. They were charged with stealing three tonnes of ballast stones belonging to the National Railways of Zimbabwe.
According to court papers, on April 19 this year the Saroti brothers hired an Isuzu truck from Matinenga’s employer claiming they wanted to ferry stones they had crushed as this was their line of business.
At around 8pm, Matinenga drove to the Saroti’s place of residence in Cherima high-density suburb where he met the two.
The brothers drove to the railway line after dropping Matinenga at a shopping centre and made three deliveries to one Minor Jeke who stays in Yellow City suburb.
The brothers were spotted by Tafadzwa Chakanetsa who is employed as a security guard at a local company near the railway line and a report was made at Marondera Central Police Station, who attended the scene of the theft.
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The two fled the scene leaving behind the vehicle and a cellphone. But police managed to trace the vehicle to its owner, Matinenga, who then led them to the Saroti brothers.
Memory Mandudzo prosecuted.