Zim cops in court for battery theft
Lebogang Mosikare | Friday June 14, 2019 13:24
The state alleges that constables Tapiwa Mugabe, 30 and Kenneth Chabaya, 28 were arrested at Dumela Industrial Site on June 3 in possession of 20 car batteries that their Botswana counterparts suspect are proceeds from criminal activities.
It is the State’s contention that the duo failed to give satisfactory answers after they were found in possession of the batteries.
The accused professed their innocence saying that they entered Botswana lawfully with the batteries but forgot to declare them to Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) authorities at the Ramokgwebana border post.
The court heard that the accused even failed to produce receipts of where they brought the batteries from in Zimbabwe.
When the accused appeared before Magistrate Lebogang Kebeetsweng, the investigating officer, detective Ramorakana prayed with the court to remand them in custody because investigations in the matter were still at their initial stages.
Ramorakana further told the court that he was yet to record statements from potential witnesses in the matter.
He added: “We suspect that the batteries were stolen from a local telecommunications company, Mascom Wireless. I am still awaiting a response from Mascom authorities who are still conducting an inventory to find out if they have cases of missing batteries.
Of late, Mascom has been having cases whereby their batteries and solar panels powering their transmitters were stolen at an alarming rate.”
Ramorakana stated that he was still to liaise with his counterparts in Zimbabwe through Interpol to find out if the goods were not stolen from Zimbabwe, hence he was praying that the duo should be incarcerated to allow investigations to continue unhindered.
When cross-examining Ramorakana, the accused maintained their innocence arguing that their local counterparts had an ulterior motive against them hence their current predicament.
Pleading for his release from custody, Mugabe told the court that keeping him in jail was tantamount to punishing him twice since BURS had already charged him for not declaring the goods.
Mugabe also said that local police officers were implementing selective justice because they did not charge the driver of the minibus who was transporting them when they were arrested.
“The batteries are currently under the custody of BURS and I fear that if we are remanded in custody, BURS officers might tamper with them,” he cried out.
He added that his continued incarceration was prejudicing him since he has a wife and children in Zimbabwe to take care of who are now suffering since he was arrested.
The prosecutor, assistant superintendent Pearl Nkele submitted that since the two accused persons were law enforcement officers, there was a high likelihood that they may tamper with investigations once they released on bail.
Nkele further stated that the accused were foreigners with no known permanent place of residence in Batswana therefore, there was a high possibility that they may escape forever and not stand trial if given bail.
She added: “The accused are currently held in custody on a holding charge. There is a possibility that they may be slapped with other charges once our investigations are complete.”
Magistrate Kebeetsweng acceded to the application made by the State.
She said: “Upon hearing the reasons advanced by the prosecution, the court has decided to remand both of you in custody. You will appear again in court on June 20 for status report.”
Batteries in Botswana are sold in metal scrap yards were they attract high prices even if they are no longer in use.
The scrap yard owners then sell them to the more lucrative market in South Africa.
In the past, the police have arrested some scrap yard owners for acting in concert with criminals in the theft of metals.