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Mpilo Hospital Employee sentenced for stealing phones from vulnerable patients
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A 34-year-old employee at Mpilo Central Hospital has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after being found guilty of stealing mobile phones from patients while they were in a vulnerable state. The court heard that the employee took advantage of the patients' illness to commit the thefts, resulting in his conviction on three counts of theft.
However, the court also imposed a conditional sentence, allowing the accused to serve 315 hours of community service instead of serving the full prison term. Bulawayo Magistrate Ms. Nomagugu Maphosa suspended three months of the sentence, and the remaining nine months were suspended on the condition that the offender performs community service at Cowdray Park Primary School.
The accused, Lizuba Nkosi Ngula, from Nkulumane suburb, was employed by Global Fund as an HIV testing counsellor and was attached to Mpilo Central Hospital.
According to the prosecutor, Ms. Hazel Siphiwe Sithole, the thefts took place on multiple occasions in November 2024.
In the first incident, on November 6, 2024, Ngula stole a Samsung Galaxy A05 phone from 36-year-old Lucy Machingauta, a patient at the hospital's Post Natal ward. Ms. Machingauta had been admitted around 10:00 AM, and Ngula took her phone without permission. The total value of the stolen phone was US$100, but it was later recovered after Machingauta reported the theft to the police, leading to Ngula's arrest.
On the same day, Ngula stole a second phone - an Itel P36 - from another patient, Martha Luwe, also in the Post Natal ward. The court heard that Ngula took the phone without Luwe's consent, knowing that the phone belonged to her.
In the third theft, which occurred on November 8, 2024, Ngula stole an O King phone from 19-year-old Shamiso Ndlovu, a patient in the same ward at Mpilo Hospital. Ndlovu, who resides at Ndlovu homestead in Lower Gweru, reported the theft, which led to the investigation and eventual conviction of Ngula.
The court's decision to suspend part of the sentence, requiring Ngula to complete community service, reflects a focus on rehabilitation while still holding him accountable for his actions.
However, the court also imposed a conditional sentence, allowing the accused to serve 315 hours of community service instead of serving the full prison term. Bulawayo Magistrate Ms. Nomagugu Maphosa suspended three months of the sentence, and the remaining nine months were suspended on the condition that the offender performs community service at Cowdray Park Primary School.
The accused, Lizuba Nkosi Ngula, from Nkulumane suburb, was employed by Global Fund as an HIV testing counsellor and was attached to Mpilo Central Hospital.
According to the prosecutor, Ms. Hazel Siphiwe Sithole, the thefts took place on multiple occasions in November 2024.
On the same day, Ngula stole a second phone - an Itel P36 - from another patient, Martha Luwe, also in the Post Natal ward. The court heard that Ngula took the phone without Luwe's consent, knowing that the phone belonged to her.
In the third theft, which occurred on November 8, 2024, Ngula stole an O King phone from 19-year-old Shamiso Ndlovu, a patient in the same ward at Mpilo Hospital. Ndlovu, who resides at Ndlovu homestead in Lower Gweru, reported the theft, which led to the investigation and eventual conviction of Ngula.
The court's decision to suspend part of the sentence, requiring Ngula to complete community service, reflects a focus on rehabilitation while still holding him accountable for his actions.
Source - Byo24News
