A 43-year-old former police officer based in Hwange, Manas Mbano, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for stealing bricks from the colliery company.
Four months of the sentence were suspended for five years with the remaining eight months set aside on condition that he performs 280 hours of community service in the coal-mining town.
The court heard that Mbano was arrested on May 3 this year after being found offloading bricks from his truck in a bushy area near GVZ Lesiure Centre. The bricks were inscribed 'wankie bricks', and he failed to explain how he obtained them.
In a separate case, a Filabusi resident, Willard Ncube (23) has been slapped with a 12-month jail term for robbery. He will, however, serve an effective eight-year jail term after two months were suspended on condition of good behaviour and another two months set aside on condition that he says restitution.
The court heard that on April 27 this year, Ncube and his alleged accomplice, Philani Moyo who is still at large, met the complainant and her friend walking along Fox Road in Victoria Falls, and robbed the complainant of her cellphone at knifepoint.
Ncube was immediately arrested after the complainant screamed, attracting the attention of a security guard who was nearby.
