Court Reporter
KUDZI Chipanga, a ZANU PF official, was arraigned before Rusape Magistrates’ Court this morning, facing charges of stealing Presidential inputs worth US$11 200 from the Department of Agriculture Research and Extension (Arex) in Makoni District.
He appeared before Rusape regional magistrate, Mrs Barbra Mateko, who remanded the matter to 4pm for bail ruling.
Mutare lawyer, Mr Chris Ndlovu of Gonese and Ndlovu Legal Practitioners, is representing Chipanga, while Ms Event Dhliwayo prosecuted, and did not oppose bail.
The complainant, Ms Noria Gashu, is representing Arex.
It was the State case that on November 27, 2024, Arex received 200x50kgs of ZFC Compound D fertilisers, 100x5kg of SC649 seed maize and 500 packets of vegetable seed from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Rusape Depot, which were meant for distribution in Ward 38, in Headlands under the Pfumvudza programme.
The inputs were loaded into a Man truck (AFJ 6795), driven by Mr Trust Mangwanda, who ferried the inputs to Lawrencedale Primary School, where there was a ZANU PF star rally.
“While at the venue, and after the rally, the accused person and his accomplices, Innocent Magutakuona, Michael Musekiwa and Julius Chipfupa, who are still at large, told the complainant that they were the ones who were going to share and distribute the inputs to the people since they were claiming that they were the ones who had sourced the inputs.
“Accused person and his accomplices started distributing the inputs to the people without the complainant’s consent. During the distribution, a commotion arose amongst the beneficiaries. The accused stopped the distribution of the inputs because of the disorder.
The accused instructed his accomplices to escort the truck with the inputs back to GMB Rusape Depot for safekeeping and for redistribution the following day since it was already dark,” said Ms Dhliwayo.
Ms Dhliwayo said the truck was escorted back to Rusape, but while on its way, the accused contacted the complainant and instructed her to stop the truck at Crofton Shops, Rusape, and she complied.
“The accused person followed the truck at Crofton and instructed his accomplices to offload more inputs which they gave to the people who had also followed the truck with their vehicles. The accused person and his accomplices escorted the truck to Rusape where they offloaded additional inputs along Rusape-Nyanga Road which were distributed to the people of that area,” she said, adding that the accused persons then ordered Mangwanda to drive to Industrial area and he complied,” said Ms Dhliwayo.
She said while the truck was passing through Rusape CBD area, the complainant disembarked from the truck and went home.
Chipanga allegedly escorted the truck to the Industrial Area, near Delta Beverages, Rusape where they offloaded the remaining inputs, which they loaded into another small truck which was already waiting at the site.
The total value of the stolen property is US$11 200, and nothing was recovered.
