A security guard who stole US$160,000 from his employer’s safe and used the money to buy a house, vehicles and build a rural homestead has been sentenced to an effective three years in prison.
Ishmael Stanley Chakombera, 38, of Mudzi, was convicted of theft and unlawful entry by the Harare Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard that in March 2025, while employed as a security guard at Valiage Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, Chakombera hatched a plan to steal the company’s office and safe keys.
He used the keys to gain access to the safe and stole US$160,000 in cash. After committing the offence, he resigned from his employment without notice.
The theft only came to light a month later. In April 2025, a senior official at Valiage Enterprises opened the safe and discovered the money was missing. Upon inspection, the company established that the safe had not been physically damaged or tampered with in any way, prompting them to file a police report.
Police investigations established that Chakombera had used the proceeds to fund a lavish spending spree. He had purchased a house in Budiriro 4 in Harare and built a homestead in Mudzi, where he had also drilled a borehole and installed a solar power system.
During questioning, Chakombera admitted to stealing the money from the company safe. Police established that he used part of the proceeds to purchase the house, a UD Truck P92, a Nissan AD Van, and a tricycle, among other properties.
Property worth US$125,000, as well as the office and safe keys, were recovered.
The court sentenced Chakombera to ten years’ imprisonment. Three years were suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence during that period. A further four years were suspended on condition that he pays the victim US$35,000 in restitution by 30 August 2026, leaving him with an effective sentence of three years’ imprisonment.
Pindula WhatsApp Channel
Facebook Page
Leave a Reply