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Danisa Masuku
A man who was employed as a gardener at Pixel Events Management in Bulawayo’s Matsheumhlope suburb appeared before a Bulawayo magistrate for allegedly stealing US$5 000 which was kept in a safe in one of the company’s offices.
Mayford Sibanda (27) appeared before magistrate Makelo Ncube and pleaded guilty to unlawful entry and theft charge committed in aggravating circumstances as defined in Section (131)(1)(a)(b) as read with Section 131(2)(e) of the Criminal Law Codification Act.
Sibanda was found guilty and will be sentenced on 23 October.
A court heard that on 25 September Sibanda switched off power before entering the company’s office where a safe containing money was kept. He took the safe and walked to the perimeter fence before throwing the safe out of the yard not knowing that the CCTV was on and was recording every action, the court was told.
He scaled over the perimeter fence and landed next to the safe before he used an iron bar to smash it. After that he took the money and squandered it, the court heard.
On the same day in the evening one of the company bosses went to the office and discovered that the safe had been stolen. Upon checking the CCTV footage,it showed Mayford taking the safe. A report was made to the police leading to his arrest. Criminal investigators recovered US$857.
During cross-examination Mayford requested the court to give him a year to restitute Pixel Events Management.
In a victim impact statement the company representative Heather Lorna Watson told the court that she was gutted and felt betrayed by Mayford.
“I’m devastated by what Mayford did to me. He has been with us for more than two years therefore I had grown to accept him as a member of the family. Recently I helped him with a huge amount of money to pay the doctors as his wife gave birth via Caesarean section. I also sponsored him in his golf tournaments. I feel betrayed because I used to trust him so much and I used to employ his wife and I’m also employing his brother,” she said tearfully.
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