A MBARE man was on Wednesday slapped with a five-year jail sentence for picking up a disused railway metal along a railway line in Mbare.
The convict, Nyasha Chale (26), who is unemployed, pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared before Harare magistrate Taurai Manuwere.
He will serve the full mandatory term without an option of paying a fine.
The complainant is the National Railways of Zimbabwe represented by Elias Tembo, who is employed as a member of the security personnel under the Loss Control Department.
The court heard that on August 31 last year, and at around 0900 hours, NRZ loss control officers Tembo and Godknows Amuli were on duty doing some routine patrols along the railway line.
Upon approaching Seke Flyover, they noticed Chale carrying a black plastic bag which seemed to have heavy contents.
They approached him and requested to see what was inside the plastic bag.
Chale quickly dropped the plastic bag and attempted to run away.
The two security officers managed to arrest him before he fled the scene.
They realised that he was carrying a wedge door stanchion, which he had stolen from the NRZ repairs section.
The matter was referred to the CID Minerals Flora and Fauna Unit for further management.
The metal was valued at US$33,40.