A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Mutare Magistrates’ Court after being convicted of stealing copper cable worth US$40, an act that disrupted telecommunications services in the city.
Liberty Chagwiza, a resident of Mutare, was found guilty of cable theft, a crime authorities say has been on the rise in the city and is causing significant financial losses to service providers.
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The court heard that on February 17, 2026, at around 4 p.m., Chagwiza was spotted by a City of Mutare employee near Sakubva Roundabout cutting and stealing four metres of copper cable.
The incident was immediately reported to the Zimbabwe Republic Police, leading to Chagwiza’s arrest at the scene.
During the trial, the court heard that the theft caused inconvenience to members of the public and financial losses to the affected telecommunications service providers.
Chagwiza was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison for the offence.
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