Bitter-sweet reunion in court

Lisa Mandewo
A Murewa woman got the shock of her life when a criminal she had pressed theft charges against turned out to be her long-lost nephew. The heart-warming reunion did not, however, deter her from pursuing justice.

This unfolded at Mbare Magistrates’ Court last week during the trial of Blessing Mudzimba who had been arrested for stealing mangoes worth US$19.

Prosecutor Mrs Revai Mudozori told the court that on January 2, 2018, Ms Martha Mudzimba was selling mangoes at Mbare Musika, Harare; and left her stall unattended for roughly 10 minutes.

Blessing (21), a tout who operates from the market, then took advantage of her absence to steal the fruits.

The two became aware of their relations in court after noticing they share a similar surname.

Mrs Mudzimba said: “I admit that he is my brother’s son and I hadn’t seen him in a long time. I last saw him when he was an infant before his parents separated.”

But that was not enough to let Blessing off the hook. She added: “I’m happy that I’ve met him again, but I want him to pay for the mangoes he stole from me. Vending is my only source of livelihood.”

Blessing’s head remained bowed as he mumbled his defence: “I thought the mangoes were no longer suitable for sale and had been dumped and I took them.”

Presiding magistrate Mrs Isabel Nyoni sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment. These were wholly suspended for five years on condition that he doesn’t commit a similar offence during the same period.