Chitungwiza man jailed 8 years for stealing from Health workers while feigning disability

A Chitungwiza man who was stealing from health workers and doctors while masquerading as a disabled person requiring medical assistance, has been sentenced to eight years in jail after he was convicted of eight counts of unlawful entry in aggravating circumstances.

Benjamin Mutambanengwe (38) from Chitungwiza Unit K was convicted after a full trial by Harare magistrate Mr Blessing Mafukidze.

The State proved that on September 9 last year at Health Point Hospital, Harare, the complainant locked his room and went out to attend to an accident patient.

During the day, the convict, posing as a disabled patient on crutches, went to the hospital, proceeded to the doctor’s room and stole a pro book laptop and went away.

The complainant came back later and noticed that his laptop was missing. He then reviewed the CCTV footage and observed the convict carrying his laptop.

The court heard that on September 25 last year, the convict went to Avondale Clinic pretending to be disabled in order to gain entry into the hospital premises.

The complainant on this count is Avondale Clinic, being represented by Mercy Marange, a Health worker.

The prosecution proved that the convict arrived at the clinic during visiting hours and entered the premises pretending to be a visitor.

He went straight to the reception room, where he stole Samsung A13 cellphone from the table and went away

The complainant came back and noticed that her cellphone was missing. On October 12 , 2025, the convict voluntarily made indications at the scene on how he committed the offence.

On another count, the convict stole a Samsung Nokia G21 cell phone belonging to Vongai Makotore, which she had left in the office on October 24, 2024 at Southland Regional.

The State prosecutor said the convict entered the premise pretending as a visitor and went to the reception where he stole the cell phone that was on the table and went away. The matter was reported to the police, leading to his arrest.

The convict used the same modus operandi to steal from other hospitals.