The President of Zimbabwe, Emerson Menginagua, accused his driver of stealing a $ 56 IDLE cell phone, which he had received as a gift from a company during one of the occasions he held on his farm. The driver, Shamunurwa Tapa (45 years old), admitted to the court that he stole the phone and claimed that he gave him a gift to his son, as the judge sentenced him to 14 months in prison.
The theft of the phone was discovered after the security team in the presidential palace began the next day to take stock of the gifts received from Minnagua during their visit to the farm, to discover that a mobile phone had disappeared. Tapa was initially sentenced to 14 months in prison after his confession, but Public Prosecutor Benjamin Shikirima recommended reducing five months in prison, "on the condition that he did not commit a similar crime within the next five years," while working 315 hours in a police station without charge.
He said that Tapa's actions were motivated by greed, and also demonstrated that he is not honest with the necessary integrity even though he works in a very sensitive location in the country. Tapa pleaded with mercy from the court, saying that he had two wives and had children at the university who were paying them fees.
The security team reported on the incident, saying that "on March 13, during the inventory of gifts, it was discovered that the cell phone with its charger and headphones was lost, which led to an investigation."
On March 23, 2020, the driver was arrested while he was in State House. ”The statement goes on,“ After that, the police investigators were informed in order to recover the stolen cell phone from the driver’s son residing at home No. 52 Dumokwa Street, New Mapoko, Harare. ”
Prosecutors claimed that the security official positively identified the stolen cell phone through its serial numbers.