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Two Harare men were yesterday slapped with a combined 20-year prison term after they were convicted of contravening the Telecommunications Act that crimi­nalises receiving or taking possession of any telecommunication infrastruc­ture material.

In Zimbabwe, crimes of this nature attract a mandatory sentence of not less than 10 years, unless there are spe­cial circumstances, but in the case of George Muganda (42) and Tapiwa Juru (33), the court found none. The pair appeared before magistrate Ms Josephine Sande on separate records.

Juru pleaded guilty to stealing a 4,3-metre long cable valued at $55. He failed to provide any special circumstances, prompting Ms Sande to hand down the mandatory sentence. Muganda was convicted after a full trial due to overwhelming evidence.

In passing sentence, Ms Sande said Muganda committed a serious offence, which called for a stiffer penalty. “In this case there are no special circumstances to warrant the court to disregard the mandatory sentence,” she said.

“Offences of this nature are on the increase and the convicted person’s conduct affect the smooth flow of telephones, hence there is need for a deterrent sentence.”

Prosecutor Ms Francesca Mukumbiri had urged the court to impose a mandatory sentence on the basis that crimes of that nature were prevalent.

“TelOne is losing cables to criminals everyday and the rate is so alarming such that if this continues, the company will close,” she said.

“Therefore, courts must protect these companies by giving deterrent sentences to criminals to deter would-be offenders.”  — Herald Reporter.