By 
Pride Tapiwa Rupapa, a 19-year-old resident of Yeovil, Mutare, has been handed a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of unlawfully damaging railway property belonging to the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ).
The Magistrates’ Court delivered the verdict today.
According to court documents, on April 14, 2025, at approximately 0500 hours, Rupapa unlawfully entered the NRZ Workshop in Mutare.
He was apprehended in the act of cutting and stealing approximately nine meters of locomotive traction motor cables from a stationary railway engine.
A vigilant Loss Control Officer at NRZ spotted Rupapa and immediately alerted other security personnel.
They pursued and successfully apprehended the accused a short distance from the scene.
Upon his arrest, Rupapa was found in possession of the stolen cables, along with bolt cutters and pliers, the tools he used to commit the crime.
The total value of the damaged and stolen cables was estimated at USD 550.
Authorities confirmed that all the stolen property was recovered.
Rupapa was charged under contravening Section 38(1)(a)(iv) of the Railway Act (Chapter 13:09), which criminalizes the willful damage or interference with railway apparatus.
The court found him guilty of the offense and subsequently imposed the custodial sentence of five years.
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