SYDNEY MUBAIWA
KWEKWE- A 38-year-old woman from Kwekwe has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for unlawfully possessing copper without a certificate.
Felistas Mugabe (38) was convicted after a full trial at the Kwekwe Magistrates Court last week.
According to court records, Mugabe was arrested on March 24, 2025 after detectives from the CID Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit received a tip off that she was transporting copper disguised as scrap metal.
Mugabe was intercepted at Kwekwe bus terminus while aboard a bus from Chinhoyi.
The copper was mixed with crushed aluminium cans and put on the bus as her cargo.
Police detectives uncovered 20.5 kilograms of copper wires, tubes, and radiator pieces . Mugabe failed to produce a certificate of origin, leading to her immediate arrest and seizure of the copper.
Unlawful possession of copper is a serious offence and it attracts a mandatory 10 year jail sentence.
