Crimes and Courts
HWANGE – Two senior Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) officials have been arrested and remanded in custody for their alleged roles in a massive US$3.8 million theft of critical power plant equipment, in a brazen heist captured on the facility’s security cameras.
Tawanda Mhaka, a Stores Officer, and Ruth Chiyani, a Loss Control Assistant, were nabbed on September 11 following a investigation into the disappearance of tonnes of equipment from the Hwange power station between August 22 and 23.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the evidence points to a “carefully orchestrated inside job.” A third suspect, Hardlife Zimwenje, is currently on the run.
In a statement detailing the case, the NPAZ revealed that CCTV footage from the Turbine Hall was instrumental in the breakthrough.
“The footage showed a truck loading stolen goods, which included 15 electric motors, 48 tonnes of brass pipes, and a metal container, all without proper documentation,” the authority stated.
The alleged roles of the accused were laid bare in the court documents. Chiyani, whose job was to prevent losses, allegedly supervised the entire illegal loading operation but “could not produce a single invoice for the movement of the items.”
Mhaka, the Stores Officer, is accused of instructing a boilermaker to cut up one of the large electric motors and a storage container to facilitate easier loading onto the haulage trucks, which were allegedly hired by the fugitive, Zimwenje.
The NPAZ warned that such acts of economic sabotage would be met with the full force of the law.
“Those entrusted with national assets will not be spared if they abuse their positions,” the authority said, adding,
“Economic sabotage will be thoroughly investigated and those responsible will face serious consequences.”
The two appeared in court and have been remanded in custody until September 26. The case has sparked widespread outrage in the Hwange community, with residents and observers questioning how such a significant theft from a critical national infrastructure site could occur.
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