By NCHIMUNYA MIYOBA in Kitwe
A 25-year old man of Chamboli has narrated to the Kitwe High Court how he saw copper cathodes being offloaded in a matter where a Kitwe based businessman is charged for aggravated robbery of copper cathodes valued at USD $178,000
Daniel Makina Chinyama, 35 who was also 2016 Chimwemwe Constituency Aspiring Candidate and a Chililabombwe taxi driver Chipili Chilufya 32, are jointly charged with aggravated robbery.
Particulars of the offence are that on August 28, last year Chilufya Chipili and Daniel Makina Chinyama in Kitwe jointly whilst acting together with other persons unknown while armed with offensive weapons namely Pistols did steal copper cathode valued at K1.8 million.
And at the time or after committing the offence did use or threaten to use violence on Rajab Rashid Magwila.
Christopher Kilembe a driver of Doshmo company along Ndola road told the court today that on August 24, 2018 , he reported for work around 08:00hrs and knocked off at 17hrs.
Mr Kilembe narrated that around 19:30hrs on the same day he received a call from his boss Mrs Mongeza informing him that there was scrap coming to the office and he quickly rushed back to company around 20:00hrs and found the guard Mr Kalyata.
He said he was with Justine Kalaba and Richard the people who picked him up along the road to take him to the office because he lives in Chamboli.
He said he could not identify the people who brought the Copper cathode to the company and could not tell the make of the vehicles as it was dark and neither did he know that they were stolen.
“They finished offloading between 23:00 and midnight then the truck went outside followed by the small car but before then they were given something by Mrs Mongeza which looked like money. Then two containerized vehicles came and the guys who were offloading started loading onto the vehicles and after they finished we all knocked off.
When I reported for work the following day in the morning I found the containerized vehicles gone and thereafter the police came and took them to give statement in relation to the vehicle and copper cathode,” he said.
And Polytra Zambia Country manager Jonathan Whittome 27, told the court that the director at Amazon Security Company informed him that their truck had been hijacked.
Mr Whittome said on August 25, 2018 around 12:00 hrs he received a call from the director of Amazon Mr Chabu who informed him that one of their trucks had been hijacked.
He said straight away he contacted the Congo office to send him papers right away and later met Mr Chabu at Thompson hospital in Luanshya were he found him with the driver who was driving the truck.
He narrated that the driver was admitted at the hospital as he was severely beaten by the hijackers.
He said at was at this time that he got an explanation of what had happened then went to Baluba police station where he found an empty truck.
Mr Whittome said he left Baluba Police station as the docket had already been opened for investigations.
