BY Takudziridzwa Nyama
A 19 year old Mutare resident, Pride Tapiwa Rupapa has been sentenced to five years in prison for tampering with railway infrastructure belonging to the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ).
The Mutare Magistrates’ Court found Rupapa guilty of contravening Section 38(1)(a)(iv) of the Railways Act.
Rupapa was convicted of unlawfully damaging and stealing locomotive traction motor cables worth approximately $550.
Circumstances are that Rupapa used bolt cutters and pliers to cut and steal around nine meters of cables from a stationary railway engine at the NRZ Workshop in Mutare.
He was caught in the act by a Loss Control Officer at NRZ who immediately called for backup. Together with another security officer, they pursued and apprehended Rupapa a few metres from the scene with the stolen cables and tools.
The court’s decision sends a strong message about the seriousness of sabotaging public infrastructure.