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“I USE mbanje to cure headache,” claimed a Chipinge man (55) who was found with the drug in his house
Gilbert Mukakurireyi Mlambo of Mandaa Village under Chief Mapungwana in Chipinge pleaded guilty when he appeared before Chipinge magistrate Mr Noah Gwatidzo last Thursday after being found in possession of 10g of mbanje.
Appearing for the State, Mr Witness Nyamundaya told the court that on August 5, at around 9pm, a police constabulary Zondai Madhuku received information that Mlambo had mbanje in his house.
“Constabulary Zondai teamed up with Constabulary Elias Mtetwa and proceeded to the accused person’s homestead. Upon arrival, they interviewed the accused person, who voluntarily led them into his house where he produced a small plastic paper containing loose mbanje that was place underneath a blanket on his bed.
“Mlambo was subsequently arrested and the mbanje was recovered,” said Mr Nyamundaya.
Asked by the magistrate what he intended to do with the illicit drug, Mlambo said he wanted to use it solely for medicinal purposes.“Your Worship, I have a problem of persistent headaches, so I smoke mbanje to relieve the pain,” he said.
Mr Gwatidzo asked him if he would continue using the drug given his stated problem and he said he would quit and find another alternative.
“I promise to quit and try tea leaves to cure my headache. I will buy tea leaves if I am released from custody,” said Mlambo.
Mr Gwatidzo, however, was lenient with him and strongly warned me against committing the crime again.
In an unrelated case, a Bumba man in Chimanimani man who tried to escape jail after having been found in possession of 260 grammes of mbanje told the court that it was an asthma prescription from his sangoma.
Arnold Muresherwa who (38) appeared before Mutare magistrate Ms Nyasha Kuture pleaded guilty to possessing the illegal drug, saying he was battling with asthma and had no choice but to use it to cure the ailment.
State prosecutor, Mr Donald Mudadirwa told the court that Muresherwa was nabbed while he was at his shop (Mars General Dealer) with the mbanje and lied to the police officers who arrested him that it belonged to his friend of his, whose name he did not say.
Asked how he used mbanje to treat his ailment, Muresherwa, said:“The sangoma told me that I should soak the mbanje in water for some time before drinking the water. However, I must confess in this court that there hasn’t been much change. I want to believe that the sangoma duped me.”
After being warned to desist from using mbanje, Muresherwa was ordered to pay $50 fine. In an unrelated case, another man from Bumba Village was caught with 600 grammes of mbanje which he said he sold as a way of earning a living and sending his children to school.
The 33-year-old Mwero Sithole pleaded guilty to the offence and was ordered to pay $70 fine.
The court heard that Mwero was caught at Nhedziwa Business Centre where he was making a mbanje transaction. The arresting police officers then proceeded to his house to search it and found a plastic bag full of the intoxicating drug which was weighed and found to be 600 grammes. In sentencing him, Ms Kuture said: “Incarcerating you will mean that your four children will suffer as you are the one taking care of them. You need to understand that mbanje is a prohibited drug in this country and possessing it constitutes a criminal offence.”
The magistrate went on to warn him to desist from selling dagga and resort to legit ways of earning a living.
Online Reporter