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Mashonaland Central Correspondent
FOUR suspects last week appeared in court for allegedly stealing foodstuffs worth $10 955 belonging to Cde Tafadzwa Musarara, who was eyeing the Mazowe West National Assembly seat.

Cde Musarara lost the zanu-pf primary elections to Mashonaland Central provincial chairman Cde Kazembe Kazembe.

The four suspects – Boyd Fungulani (40) of Rockwood Farm, Concession, Shingirai Chisango (49) of No. 3764 Chiwaridzo, Bindura, Lens Faranando of No. 35 of 8/ 40 Chipadze Street, Bindura and Jonah Ngwenya (43) of No. 3 NRZ Quarters, Bindura, were remanded on $50 bail each to June 28 for trial.

They pleaded not guilty when they appeared before Mrs Vongai Guwuriro.

Prosecuting, Mr Brighton Korera said on April 26, Bachelor Mondii Mpalane (66) of No. 23, Second Street, Warren Park 1, Harare, who is employed as a driver at Alpha Grain Transport Company in Harare, went to Mazowe West constituency to deliver 10 tonnes of maize meal and 16 tonnes of self-rising flour meant for the electorate.

He offloaded 135, 10x2kg of flour at Arda Farm, Mvurwi, four hundred 10x2kg of the flour at Hermiston Farm before proceeding to Dandamera Business Centre in Concession. It is alleged that on April 28 at around 10.00pm, Mpalane parked the vehicle at Dandamera Business Centre, Concession, intending to deliver part of the consignment in the company of Henry Wengwere and Nicholas Chirambwe, who were driving a Toyota Hiace that was escorting him.

“The accused who were in the company of accomplices who are still at large arrived at the scene and assaulted Mpalane and Nicholas Chirambwe,” said Mr Korera.

“They removed the keys from the ignition of both vehicles before locking him (Mpalane) in the vehicle belonging to one of the accused. They then offloaded packets of flour and maize meal from the complainant’s truck into their vehicles before Lens Faranando and Jonah Ngwenya incited people who were at the shopping centre to loot from the complainant’s property.”

Mr Korera said after having emptied the complainant’s truck, the accused shoved Mpalane out of their vehicle and left the scene.

“Wengere, who had escaped from the scene, phoned Cde Musarara, who organised a team to visit the scene,” he said.

“They found Shingirai Chisango loading 70x5kg of maize meal and 138x2kg of flour into his lorry and apprehended him. They recovered the property.”

Mr Korera said Cde Musarara, who was on his way to the scene, came across Boyd Fungulani carrying 10x2kg of the flour before apprehending him and recovering the flour. It is alleged that Fungulani admitted that he had stolen the flour from the scene.

Cde Musarara made a report to the police at ZRP Concession.

The stolen foodstuffs were valued at $10 955 and only $881 worth of the items were recovered.