Prison guard sentenced to 5 years for theft from inmates
In a move to uphold justice and integrity within the correctional system, the Gwanda Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service officer to a five-year prison term for theft.
Mpumelelo Dube, a 33-year-old correctional officer, was found guilty of stealing various groceries, including five OpenView decoders, from a group of inmates he was tasked with overseeing.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe, on the 13th of April 2024, the accused person escorted a group of 6 inmates who had gone to offload goods at Matson Investments. After offloading the goods, the complainant discovered that various groceries including 5 Open View Decoders were missing. She did not report the matter but decided to conduct her own investigations first.
The matter came to light on the 19th of April 2024, when a witness who was among the team of inmates, was granted Presidential Amnesty and went to inform the complainant that the accused person had stolen the decoders. A police report was made, leading to the arrest of the accused person and the recovery of the decoders.
Total value stolen is ZAR4500 and ZAR 3600 was recovered.
The accused person was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment of which 2 years were suspended.
