Gweru Brothers Sentenced to 93 Years for Transformer Oil Theft
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Two brothers from Gweru, Jacob and Masimba Chibunhe, have been sentenced to a combined 93 years in prison for stealing transformer oil across the city.
The pair was charged with tampering with electricity infrastructure under the Electricity Act, with Jacob facing 17 counts and receiving 45 years, and Masimba convicted on 18 counts and sentenced to 48 years. Their sentences will run concurrently.
Despite appealing to the Supreme Court for a reduction, the brothers’ appeal was dismissed. Justice Nicholas Mathonsi, joined by Justices Susan Mavangira and Joseph Musakwa, upheld the ruling, stating: “The essence of legislative intervention in providing for a mandatory minimum sentence is to remove the court’s discretion.”
Court findings revealed the brothers orchestrated a series of oil thefts from 11 February to 29 June 2013, resulting in the theft of 11,530 litres of transformer oil, leaving communities and industries without electricity. Their actions caused damage to transformers valued at $96,750. Using a red Honda Fit with registration ACW 7466, the duo and two accomplices strategically targeted transformers at night, selling the stolen oil to commuter bus operators.
The court described their activities as a well-organised operation that significantly disadvantaged the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA). Their actions were deemed an “organised criminal operation” that caused major disruptions, prompting the court to consider the severity of their crimes in sentencing.
Justice Mathonsi noted that while the original sentencing approach was unconventional, it remained favourable to the defendants and was not challenged by either party. The court emphasised the need for accountability given the scale of losses to ZESA and the affected communities.
Jacob and Masimba’s coordinated thefts are a stark reminder of the consequences of electricity infrastructure tampering, which not only causes financial losses but also cripples essential services for entire communities.
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