BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
A FOREMAN at Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC)’s Harare Mabelreign depot has been jailed two years for stealing a 500kVA transformer at his workplace.
Pearson Kadzviti, who was the acting foreman when he committed the offence, was convicted by a Harare magistrate after a full trial.
He will, however, serve 18 months after six months of his sentence was set aside on condition of good behaviour.
The magistrate took into account that he was a first offender and a family man.
The court also took into consideration that the conviction would result in him losing employment and his fall from grace was punishment enough, hence the need to be lenient.
Court papers show that on July 4, 2013 at the company’s Mabelreign Shops depot, Kadzviti signed a transaction form authorising a bigger transformer to be put at his depot replacing the 500kVA which he claimed had developed a fault.
He hired a crane and transport using his own funds to remove the transformer despite the fact that ZETDC has a company which provides this service.
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He then sold the transformer for US$13 200 and received US$8 316 which was 70% the selling price.
Kadzviti denied the allegations, but he failed to lead evidence to exonerate himself.
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