Decide Nhendo
MASVINGO – Four Masvingo women from Machaka village in Chief Charumbira area were sentenced to combined 12 months imprisonment by Masvingo Magistrate Ivy Jaona after they were found in possessing dagga (mbanje).
The four, Aletha Svonono (26), Pauline Makosi (41), Resta Rutoro (37) and Memory Svonono (30) were found guilty of possessing 45 twists of dagga (mbanje) and were sentenced to a total 12 months.
Jaona, however, suspended four months on condition of good behavior and that the convicted do not commit a similar offense for the next five years. Effectively they will serve 280 hours each of community service at Coronation Centre.
It is the State’s case as presented by Tichaona Chakavarika that on October 9, 2023 detectives and Police Intelligence members were on an operation named ‘No to drugs and substance abuse’ and were tipped that the accused persons were dealing selling dagga at Manyama business Centre.
The State told the court that the police proceeded to Manyama business Centre where they approached the four accused and recovered 45 twists with a total value of USD$32.
Passing the sentence, magistrate Jaona said the accused persons’ conduct was derailing government’s efforts to curb drug and substance abuse in the country.
The accused persons, who were represented by advocate Knowledge Mabvuure of Chihambakwe law chambers pleaded guilty to the charges, and begged for leniency.
The defence lawyer told the court that the accused were sole providers for their children back home. One of the women spent days in custody with her seven months baby before they appeared in court.
