Harare — A FARM security guard who shot and killed a thief he caught stealing maize and seriously injured another, was on Tuesday jailed for five years for culpable homicide and attempted murder.

Raphael Ncube (38), who was employed by Mazowe Citrus Estates in Mazowe, killed Tawanda Butawu and injured Luckson Paizoni on the leg.

Ncube was jailed after pleading guilty to both charges before Bindura regional magistrate Ms Mavis Kudumba.

Initially, Ms Kudumba had sentenced Ncube to six-and a- half years in prison -- four-and-a-half years for the culpable homicide charge and one-and-a-half years for attempted murder -- before she conditionally set aside one and a half years.

Bindura acting area public prosecutor Mr Emmanuel Muchenga established that the shooting incident occurred on July 26 last year when Ncube was guarding one of the maize fields at the Estate.

During the course of his guard duty, Ncube spotted people stealing fresh maize from the farm's Y3 field and indiscriminately opened fire on them without firing a warning shot.