Solomon Mateta
(52) appeared before Western Commonage magistrate, Mr Mehluli Moyo, facing
charges of theft and unlawful entry. He was granted US$100 bail and remanded to
January 27.
The prosecutor,
Mrs Ellen Matenga said the charges stem from two alleged incidents that
occurred between August and September 2024. Mateta is accused of breaking into
the company’s premises and stealing a safe containing US$4 500.
Additionally,
he is charged with unlawful entry, as he had been barred from entering the
premises after being fired in 2022 and a restraining order had been issued
against him.
Mateta pleaded
not guilty to the two charges, claiming that he was not in Bulawayo during the
alleged incidents.
He stated that
he had been moving between Harare and Filabusi for piece jobs and only returned
to Bulawayo in September to collect his belongings as he was permanently
relocating to Harare.
“I was moving
between Harare and Filabusi doing piece jobs. I only came to Bulawayo in
September to take my clothes as I was permanently moving to Harare,” Mateta
told the court. He also said he did not receive any restraining order when he
was fired from the company, explaining that he still possessed the keys to the
premises.
A
representative from the company testified in court, explaining the
circumstances surrounding the break-in.
A company official said he was notified by a security guard of a break-in at the Riverside North premises, where a safe containing money was stolen.
The doors to
the manager’s office and the office housing the safe were found vandalised, and
the company laptop was left untouched.
The safe that
contained money was missing while another safe containing company papers and
keys was intact. Chronicle
