Church thief acquitted

A Bulawayo man who was betrayed by a cellphone with a tracking system, which he had allegedly stolen after breaking into the Apostolic Faith Church of Zimbabwe offices in Bulawayo and also allegedly stealing more than $2,500, was yesterday acquitted.

Bulawayo magistrate Charity Maphosa acquitted Timothy Mano, 45, of Pumula South of charges of unlawful entry and theft. She however, found him guilty of receiving stolen property and remanded him to September 16 for sentencing.

Prosecuting, Kudakwashe Jaravaza told how on August 19 this year shortly after 5PM Moline Pasi, an Apostolic Faith Church of Zimbabwe office administrator, locked her offices situated along Josiah Tongogara Street and knocked off.

Allegations against Mano were that he then went to the premises and destroyed a display wooden panel to gain entry into the offices.

"Soon after gaining entry, Mano opened a lockable wooden cabinet and stole $2,595, R2,000 and a Karbonn cellphone with a mobile tracker," said Jaravaza.

The following morning when Pasi reported for work, she discovered that her office had been broken into and she alerted her superiors.

The court heard that on that same day, the mobile tracker reported on Pasi's husband's cellphone indicating that a Telecel simcard had been put on the stolen cellphone. A police report was made and investigations were carried out leading to Mano's arrest.

In defence, Mano said he only bought the cellphone from Lawrence Muchinda, a flea market trader at Unity Village market.

"I did not steal the cellphone. In fact, I bought it from Lawrence Muchinda at Unity Village and gave it to my brother's wife so that she could use it since she had lost hers. I was surprised when police came and arrested me before they took me to Mzilikazi Police Station," he argued.

Muchinda who also testified in court denied having sold the cellphone to Mano.

"The accused is lying. I was in Filabusi attending a weeklong camp meeting on that particular day hence there is no way I could have sold him that cellphone in question. I don't deal in cellphones my business is strictly selling clothes and what the accused is saying is not true," he told the court.