Church thieves convicted

Two women from Chitungwiza have been convicted on three counts of theft after they stole various gadgets and personal items during church services in Dzivarasekwa, a Harare magistrate has ruled.

Harare magistrate Sharon Rakafa last week convicted Glory Choto (50) and Violet Jaure (34), saying the State had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. Sentencing is expected later this week.

In her ruling, Rakafa said there was overwhelming evidence linking the pair to the offences, with State witnesses producing tangible exhibits recovered from the accused.

The two women, who are unemployed and reside in Nyatsime Phase 2, Chitungwiza, were convicted following incidents that occurred in October last year.

Prosecutor Chyvonne Nhira told the court that on October 5, the accused stole a laptop bag containing a Lenovo mini laptop, a black power bank, a diary, cash books, three counter books and a flash disk at the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) of Zimbabwe church in Dzivarasekwa Extension.

The complainant, an employee of the Zimbabwe National Army, had briefly stepped outside the church to attend to a phone call when the theft occurred. The State said the pair took advantage of the unattended property and fled with it.

The court heard that the two were later arrested after being caught stealing from a vehicle parked outside a Methodist Church in Dzivarasekwa.

On a separate count, the women stole a black-and-cream dress, a royal blue jersey, a blue-and-white doek and baby wipes from a car belonging to Tafadzwa Chifamba, an employee of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

Chifamba had parked her Toyota Runx outside the United Methodist Church in Dzivarasekwa 1 while attending a church service when the theft occurred.

According to the State, congregants noticed the accused behaving suspiciously and searched them, recovering the stolen items in their possession. This led to their arrest and subsequent prosecution.

The matter returns to court this week for sentencing.