A 65-year-old Harare man who hacked MultiChoice’s DStv systems and offered parallel subscription services to clients has been convicted by a Harare court and sentenced to nine months in prison.
Geoffrey Charles Bushby (65) was convicted by Magistrate Lisa Mutendereki, who suspended three months of the sentence on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.
A further six months were suspended on condition that he pays a fine of US$300.
Bushby was charged with hacking or, alternatively, unlawful use of data.
In passing sentence, Magistrate Mutendereki said she had considered Bushby’s advanced age and the fact that he is a first offender. She also noted that he is in ill health, which contributed to the lenient sentence.
The court heard that Bushby was running an operation connecting clients to DStv channels without authorisation.
An undercover MultiChoice DStv official reportedly responded to a social media advertisement placed by Bushby and went through the process he used to commit the offence.
Prosecutor Mandirasa Chigumira told the court that between February and March last year, Bushby advertised his services in WhatsApp groups, offering clients access to all DStv channels for a once-off annual payment of US$300.
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To facilitate the illegal connections, Bushby allegedly used a Xiaomi TV Box S to create login credentials and connect to DStv’s servers. After the initial setup, clients would make annual payments directly to him, bypassing MultiChoice’s legitimate subscription services.
Bushby also misrepresented himself as a MultiChoice-accredited DStv agent, despite having no affiliation with the company.
The court heard that he used an advertising agent, Bambazonke, to promote his illegal services. MultiChoice Zimbabwe’s anti-piracy manager, Parcion Matikiti, set a trap by posing as a client.
Bushby reportedly visited Matikiti’s residence, where he connected a Xiaomi TV Box S and activated all DStv channels. Upon completing the installation, police officers arrested him at the scene.
Two Xiaomi TV Box S devices were recovered at the time of arrest.
A subsequent search of Bushby’s residence at 89 King George Road led to the seizure of 32 additional Xiaomi TV Box S devices, a laptop and a cellphone allegedly used in the illegal operation. All the items were seized as evidence.
Meanwhile, a Harare woman was fined US$150 by a Harare court after she was found selling counterfeit DStv decoders.
Natasha Maka (25) appeared before Magistrate Mutendereki and pleaded guilty to the charges.
The court heard that on February 17 this year, the complainant, accompanied by police officers, visited the corner of Mbuya Nehanda and Nelson Mandela streets, where they found Maka selling DStv decoders registered under South African accounts and managing subscriptions for them.
The team also discovered that the DStv power supply units and remote controls she was selling were counterfeit.
Maka was arrested and several items were seized, including five sealed boxes of DStv decoders, four AD remotes, three 1132 remotes, three power supply units, a receipt book, a Barclays diary and a counter book. The exhibits were produced in court.
