Jerabo Commander Chile One Jailed Five Years

Chile One in black shirt

By Paul Shalala

The Kitwe High Court has sent prominent Jerabo Commander Richard Chileshe, who is popularly known as Chile One, to jail for five years after he lost his appeal in his copper theft case.

Chile One, who was convicted by the Kitwe Magistrate’s Court with two others in 2016, appealed the five year sentence in the Kitwe High Court.

Jerabos are illegal miners who have in the recent past been trabsformed into small scale miners after their work was legalized by the Ministry of Mines.

Chile One happens to be among the top few leaders known as commanders who own huge tipper trucks and employ dozens of youths who work for them at the copper rich dumpsite called Black Mountain in Kitwe.

With this decision by the High Court, he is now a convict, serving a five year jail term at the Kamfinsa Correctional Facility in Kitwe.

Chile One, together with John Mapoma and Danny Ngosa, are alleged to have stolen 30 copper blisters valued at K1.7 million, the property of Chambeshi Copper Smelter.

After being stolen, the copper blisters were buried at Chile One’s garage.

After their conviction in 2016, the three decided to appeal the matter in the Kitwe High Court on four grounds.

However, on Friday, Livingstone High Court Judge-In-Charge Chilombo Maka-Phiri sitting in Kitwe, dismissed all the grounds of appeal.

Justice Phiri said the appeal had no merit and she upheld the five year sentence slapped on the three by the lower court.

She added that the appellants would serve the five year sentence effective Friday.

After the ruling, Chile One and Ngosa were immediately led to a holding cell, en route to the Kamfinsa Correctional Facility.

The judge later issued a bench warrant for Mapoma who wasn’t in the court room.

PF Copperbelt Chief, 4 Others Plead Not Guilty To Various Offences

By Paul Shalala

Notice at the Kitwe Magistrate's Court

Patriotic Front Copperbelt Province Chairman Stephen Kainga and four other PF members have pleaded not guilty to various charges levelled against them.

When the matter came up for plea in the Kitwe Magistrate Court this morning, both Mr Kainga and Stanely Chandindi pleaded not guilty to obstructing an officer on 15th July in Kitwe.

The duo are jointly charged for obstructing Chief Inspector Lungu while he was executing his duties. 

Magistrate Ikechukwu Iduma has since been adjourned to 10th August for possible commencement of trial.

In another case, Richard Chileshe, who is popularly known as Chile One has pleaded not guilty to threatening violence contrally to section 90 B of the laws of Zambia.

Facts before the court are that on 15 July 2015, Mr Chileshe discharged a loaded firearm with intent to cause alarm to any person.

He appeared before Magistrate Penjani Lamba.

Meanwhile, two more PF members John Kangwa and Brian Mulenga have pleaded not guilty to two counts of theft from person and assault occassioning actual bodily harm.

They are alleged to have assaulted Progress Mwila and stolen his camera worth K1,000 but they have pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Kapinda Chipamu.

Bail for the five PF members has since been extended.

All their cases are related to violence that rocked Kitwe last week when opposition UPND President Hakainde Hichilema visited Kitwe to open his party's Secretariat for the Copperbelt Province in Chachacha Compound.

And Magistrate Prosper Mwila has granted bail to 16 juveniles and a Kitwe man who were in custody after being charged for idle and disorderly conduct.
 
The 17, are alleged to have formed criminal gangs terrorizing residents of Kwacha, Bulangililo and Kamitondo townships in Kitwe and they call themselves SOD.

SOD, which some refer to as Sons of the Devil, is a gang of young boys which has terrorised Kitwe residents for some time now.

When Magistrate Mwila announced that he was granting them cash bail of four thousand kwacha each with three working surities, 10 of the 17 juveniles pleaded for leniency that they were Grade nine pupils who are scheduled to start writting exams tomorrow. 

The juveniles have since been taken back into the holding cell as they wait for their parents to meet bail conditions.

The matter comes back to court on 29th July for trial.