Chamunorwa Muvhuti (40), who was a merchandiser at Mahomed
Mussa, was convicted by Harare magistrate Mrs Apollonia Marutya after finding
him guilty of theft.
Muvhuti had pleaded guilty. In mitigation, Muvhuti told the
court that the employer was not paying enough.
Mrs Marutya initially sentenced Muvhuti to 36 months in
prison before setting aside six months on the condition that he would not
commit a similar offence in the next five years and another six months were
suspended on condition Muvhuti pays US$5 000 restitution to Mohammed Mussa
before February 28 next year.
In her sentence ruling, Mrs Marutya said the court had
considered that Muvhuti was a first offender and did not waste the court’s time
and resources.
She recognised that Muvhuti was a family man and had
children who are under-age to look after.
Most of the money was recovered and Muvhuti did not benefit
enough from it.
“However, the accused breached the trust between him and
the complainant who is the company,” said Mrs Marutya.
On December 21, around 5pm Muvhuti connived with Jeremiah
Kwenda and Phineas Moyo, who are security guards at Mohamed Mussa, and hid in
the shop where he was locked inside when it closed.
He used a sharp metal object to break a black portable safe
away from the wall and took it away.
The next day, the business discovered the safe was missing
and made a police report. On Christmas Day, detectives arrested Muvhuti in
Mupande Village, Chief Chitsungo in Pfungwe, where he had gone to pay lobola to
his in-laws.
The court heard that Muvhuti led the police to the recovery
of US$186 100 at his home in Chitungwiza.
He also led police to the recovery of a black portable safe
that was positively identified by the complainant as the one that had been
stolen from the shop together with the US$195 000. Herald
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