Two women in Karoi will each perform 420 hours of community work for trying to rescue a Zesa worker charged with illegal restoring electricity to disconnected houses for a bribe. Eunique Mavhura (40) and Mouline Makoshori (38) were sentenced to 20 months in jail after they pleaded guilty to perjury.

Karoi magistrate Mr Obidience Matare conditionally set-aside eight months of their sentence for five years.

The remain 12 months were further suspended on condition that Mavhura and Makoshori do community service at at Tafara Primary School and Peter Groot Secondary Schools respectively.

Charges against the two arose when they appeared in court to court to testify during the trial of a Zesa line worker, Chakanyuka Chakanyuka who is charged with contravening section 60 A (3)(b) of the Electricity Act.

The two lied under oath to resident magistrate Mr Robson Finsin that they did not know Chakanyuka yet both of them had indicated in their sworn affidavits that Chakanyuka was their neighbour in Chiedza Township and that he had allegedly illegally restored electricity supplies at their houses.

When the women appeared before Mr Matare on Friday for plea recording, they blamed their conduct on Chakanyuka and his lawyer who threatened them that they also risked going to jail if ever they admitted in court that they knew Chakanyuka.

Chakanyuka is facing four counts of illegally restoring electricity supplies to disconnected houses in Chiedza Township, Karoi.

Charges against Chakanyuka arose sometime last year.

It is alleged although the ZESA teams would remove circuit breakers from the meter units for non-payment of bills, Chakanyuka would allegedly bring and fix back his own circuit breakers before demanding a US$10 bribe from the affected households.