News / National
Chinamsa and friend steals Government car
01 Apr 2022 at 04:06hrs | Views
TWO men appeared in court yesterday on allegations of conniving to steal a car from the Office of the President and Cabinet after the driver parked it in Harare's city centre to buy a pair of shoes.
Lameck Phiri and Last Chinamasa were not asked to plead when they appeared before magistrate Mr Shane Kubonera and were remanded in custody and told they had to approach the High Court for bail.
On March 17 at around 9pm, Obey Mbofana parked a Toyota Quantum at the corner of Kenyatta Street (formerly Park Street) and Nelson Mandela Avenue to buy a pair of shoes from vendors trading along pavements.
The court heard that Mbofana left the keys on the ignition while choosing a pair of the right size.
But while he was negotiating the price, Chinamasa and Phiri allegedly opened the car from the passenger side and drove off.
Mr Mbofana heard the sound of a tyre skidding and saw the car being driven away at high speed.
He allegedly tried to give chase, but the two turned into Leopold Takawira Street from Nelson Mandela Avenue and disappeared.
On March 29, detectives from the vehicle theft squad received information that Crynonce Kasenga was in possession of one of Mr Mbofana's stolen cellphones.
He was apprehended and indicated that he had bought the cellphone from Phiri, who implicated Chinamasa.
The court heard that when the police conducted a search they recovered from him the stolen vehicle keys attached to a blue Honda Fit key.
Chinamasa allegedly led detectives to Zinanga Village, Chief Seke in Ziko where his father Simon Chinamasa lives.
He in turn told police that the stolen car was parked at his homestead by his son.
Phiri led the police to a maize field in Sunningdale 2, Harare, where he had stashed the number plates for the Quantum.
He then led to the recovery of parts stripped from the car from the places in Harare where they were sold.
The duo is also facing another count of vehicle theft for allegedly stealing Mr Isaac Chivero's Toyota Runx in the city centre.
The court heard that Mr Chivero parked his car along Julia Zvobgo Street (formerly Rezende Street) leaving the key in ignition and went into a shop.
The car was stolen and was recovered when the two were arrested for stealing the Toyota Quantum.
The car was stripped and majority of the parts that had been sold were recovered.
In the third count, the duo stole and stripped Marvelous Wasakara's Blue Honda Fit that she had parked along Leopold Takawira Street as she was buying bananas.
Phiri also appeared before Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko facing vehicle theft charges after he stole Owen Muleya's beige Honda Fit.
Mr Tapiwanashe Zvidzai and Mrs Marian Furidze appeared for the State.
Lameck Phiri and Last Chinamasa were not asked to plead when they appeared before magistrate Mr Shane Kubonera and were remanded in custody and told they had to approach the High Court for bail.
On March 17 at around 9pm, Obey Mbofana parked a Toyota Quantum at the corner of Kenyatta Street (formerly Park Street) and Nelson Mandela Avenue to buy a pair of shoes from vendors trading along pavements.
The court heard that Mbofana left the keys on the ignition while choosing a pair of the right size.
But while he was negotiating the price, Chinamasa and Phiri allegedly opened the car from the passenger side and drove off.
Mr Mbofana heard the sound of a tyre skidding and saw the car being driven away at high speed.
He allegedly tried to give chase, but the two turned into Leopold Takawira Street from Nelson Mandela Avenue and disappeared.
On March 29, detectives from the vehicle theft squad received information that Crynonce Kasenga was in possession of one of Mr Mbofana's stolen cellphones.
He was apprehended and indicated that he had bought the cellphone from Phiri, who implicated Chinamasa.
The court heard that when the police conducted a search they recovered from him the stolen vehicle keys attached to a blue Honda Fit key.
Chinamasa allegedly led detectives to Zinanga Village, Chief Seke in Ziko where his father Simon Chinamasa lives.
He in turn told police that the stolen car was parked at his homestead by his son.
Phiri led the police to a maize field in Sunningdale 2, Harare, where he had stashed the number plates for the Quantum.
He then led to the recovery of parts stripped from the car from the places in Harare where they were sold.
The duo is also facing another count of vehicle theft for allegedly stealing Mr Isaac Chivero's Toyota Runx in the city centre.
The court heard that Mr Chivero parked his car along Julia Zvobgo Street (formerly Rezende Street) leaving the key in ignition and went into a shop.
The car was stolen and was recovered when the two were arrested for stealing the Toyota Quantum.
The car was stripped and majority of the parts that had been sold were recovered.
In the third count, the duo stole and stripped Marvelous Wasakara's Blue Honda Fit that she had parked along Leopold Takawira Street as she was buying bananas.
Phiri also appeared before Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko facing vehicle theft charges after he stole Owen Muleya's beige Honda Fit.
Mr Tapiwanashe Zvidzai and Mrs Marian Furidze appeared for the State.
Source - The Herald
