Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – Greatman Macheke (19), who resides at Quagapan Village Two under Chief Maranda and is currently doing form three at Mufakose High School in Triangle, was last week arraigned before the Mwenezi Magistrates’ Court facing charges of stock theft.
Macheke, who is out of custody on bail, pleaded not guilty to the charges when he appeared before magistrate Honest Musiiwa.
Macheke said he was merely phoned by one Peacemaker Macheke to come with a scotch cart to ferry some game meat and did not suspect it was actually beef.
The complainant, Jonathan Hungwe, however, rubbished Macheke’s defence insisting the young man was part of a syndicate which has stolen many heifers at his farm.
Argued by prosecutor Angelinah Makonya, the State’s case was that on May 2 at around 03:00 hrs, Macheke went to hunt at subdivision 3 Alko Ranch in the company of Peacemaker Macheke, who was already convicted of the offence and Tasiyana Chifaso who is still at large.
After failing to catch anything, the accused came across a heifer belonging to Hungwe and they allegedly killed it using an axe. The three were seen by a passer-by as they skinned the heifer. The eye witnesses then alerted Hungwe who immediately notified the police, leading to the arrest of the accused.
The stolen heifer was valued at US$400 and the meat that was recovered from the nearby field is worth US$150.
The matter was postponed to a later date for continuation of trial.
If one is convicted of stock theft, he/she faces a mandatory sentence of nine years imprisonment for each beast stolen.crime

Precila Takabvirakare

MPANDAWANA – The love for beer has landed a Gutu man in trouble with the law as he was brought before magistrate Victor Muhamadi facing charges of stealing three cattle.
Obert Chibika (20), from Bhanditi village under Chief Gutu, was charged for contravening Section 114 (2) (a) of The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
Chibika was sentenced 9 years in prison after being found guilty of the offence.
The State’s case, as presented by Samuel Magobeya, was that on an unknown date but in the month of February this year, Chibika teamed up with his friends Tawanda Magaji and Nelson Dukuti and stole Tsvakai Mutizwa’s three cattle from the grazing area in Mbirikiro village.
Chibika drove the cattle to Mpandawana Business Centre intending to sell them to a buyer found by Magaji.
The State further alleged that Chibika was selling the stock at $80 each. The buyer, however, questioned the cattle were being sold so cheaply, and he tipped the police, leading to the arrest of the suspect.
Asked by magistrate Mahamadi why he committed the offence, Chibika said he did not know what had come over him to be influenced by his friends to that extent.
“I do not know what had come over me. I was influenced by my friends that we should sell those cattle so that we can get money for beer,” said Chibika.crime

Precila Takabvirakare

MPANDAWANA – A man from Magombedze village under Chief Makore recently appeared before the Gutu Magistrates’ Court facing charges of indecently assaulting his 14-year-old daughter by fondling her breasts, buttocks and licking her vagina and breasts.
The 39-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victim, pleaded guilty to contravening with Section 67(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
He was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment but eight months were conditionally suspended, leaving him to serve an effective 16-month jail sentence.
State facts were that on a date not known by the prosecutor but in April 2016 at around 20:00 hrs, the man called his daughter into his bedroom, ordered her to sit on his bed where he was seated but the girl refused and fled to her bedroom hut.
The man then followed the girl to her room where she slept, opened the door but the girl stood up to check who had got into her room.
The man then closed the door behind him, lifted the girl’s skirt, removed her pant, lifted her blouse, fondled her breasts and buttocks, and licked her vagina and breasts.
The girl later divulged what had happened to her mother, leading to the man’s arrest.
When magistrate Victor Mahamadi asked the offender why he committed the offence, he said a prophet had advised him to do so if he wanted to prosper in business.
“The prophet I consulted told me to do that so that I could prosper in business and get a lot of money,” the man said, courting the ire of the magistrate who said the act was immoral and was not expected of a father.crime

Tiyani Hahlani

Masvingo magistrate, Langton Ndokera this week sentenced a 34-year-old man from Ndiweni village under Chief Mapanzure to five years in prison for having sexual intercourse with his own daughter.
The man will however serve an effective four years imprisonment after one year was suspended on condition of good behaviour.
The accused pleaded guilty to having sexual intercourse within a prohibited degree as defined in section 75(2) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
The State, led by Fidelicy Nyamukondiwa, convinced the court that from February to May 2018, the accused had unprotected consensual sexual intercourse with his biological daughter who is aged 14.
On the first day the accused told her daughter that if they had sex they would be happy, claiming that the girl’s mother was not satisfying him in bed.
On another day, the man went to where his daughter was washing the dishes outside the hut and told her that he wanted to sleep with her as he had asked before, and the girl agreed.
He then took the minor to his bedroom hut where he raped her on the bedding and it became a habit whenever the accused’s wife was away.
The girl’s mother began to suspect that something was wrong because the two became unusually close to one another, eating together and making plans together.
The complainant’s mother at one time approached the village head but he did not act but the matter eventually came to light after the police were tipped off, leading to the arrest of the offender.
The girl was then taken to Masvingo Provincial Hospital where she was medically examined and the doctor revealed that there was penetration.crime