Man steals doors to 'save them from termites'

A GOKWE man shocked the courts on Thursday when he claimed that he was doing an environmental management exercise by stealing three doors from his employer in an effort to save them from being destroyed by termites.

"Your honour, I was doing an environmental management exercise after finding that termites were feeding on the doors. I removed them to save them by putting them to good use at my lodgings," Jonathan Mamvura told a stunned court when he appeared before provincial magistrate Miss Lindiwe Maphosa facing a charge of theft.

According to the State led by Mr Tinomupeyi Mbiza, on 3 May 2014 at around 7am, Francis Mudenda, who was employed as a security guard at Clay Products in Gwayi, woke up and found that the toilet door was missing and after conducting investigations he noticed that two other interior doors were also missing. He made inquiries with his neighbour who told him that he knew nothing about the issue.

Upon making inquiries within the company's compound, a resident, Million Ncube, told him that he was approached by Mamvura who told him that he was selling a wooden door with an option of a barter trade for a bucket of maize.

Mamvura had moved to the compound only four days before the theft.

Mudenda then reported the matter to the police and investigations were done, leading to Mamvura's arrest and recovery of one of the doors.
The total value of the stolen items was $60 and only one door was recovered.

Mamvura, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, said he had alerted his neighbour of his intentions to transfer the toilet door which was being consumed by termites to save it.

He was convicted and sentenced to three months imprisonment of which one month was suspended on condition that he restitutes the complainant the sum of $60.