Chronicle Editor
Sharon Buwerimwe, Court Reporter
A WOMAN who snatched a four-year-old girl from her home in Bulawayo and took her to Tsholotsho where she wanted to hand over the child to a cross border transport operator for human trafficking has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Cynthia Tshuma (19) who used an alias, Simpiwe Mlilo, connived with a cross border transport operator (umalayitsha) identified as Ndumiso to kidnap the girl from her home in Emganwini suburb before keeping her captive in Tsholotsho for nine days.
The court heard Tshuma was promised R500 on the delivery of the child but she lost communication with the umalayitsha until she got arrested.
Tshuma pleaded guilty to a kidnapping charge before Western Commonage magistrate, Ms Sibongile Marondedze who convicted her on her own plea. In passing sentence, the magistrate said kidnapping is a very serious crime and offenders must be dealt with.
“After considering the evidence brought before the court, you are found guilty. It is by God’s grace that Ndumiso failed to locate the child. The message should be sent to the public that trafficking is bad and you are a danger to the community. I’m sentencing you to five years in prison,” she ruled.
The magistrate however suspended two years on condition that Tshuma does not commit a similar offence within five years.
She will serve an effective three years in prison.
Prosecuting, Ms Samantha Gubede said on October 30 at a round 1PM, Tshuma allegedly visited the girl’s home and found her in the custody of her grandmother.
“The accused person said she needed to buy airtime to call the complainant’s mother who was in Gwanda and requested the complainant to accompany her to buy airtime at the shops near Emganwini Secondary School,” she said.
“The accused person together with the complainant, however, boarded a commuter omnibus to Bulawayo city centre where they proceeded to Tsholotsho without the knowledge of the complainant’s guardians.”
Testifying in court, the girl’s mother, Ms Simelinkosi Ncube, said she did not suspect that Tshuma could steal her child.
“I found Tshuma stranded in town and then I took her home. We stayed with her for two weeks and helped her look for a job. She worked for two days and came back home saying she was no longer interested. I told her that I can’t provide her with shelter anymore since she didn’t want to work and she left. She then came back after a month and stole my child,” she said.- @sharonbuwe
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