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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
THREE Beitbridge men have been jailed for 18 months for kidnapping a 16-year-old teenager and holding him hostage for six days for reportedly stealing their cattle.
Charity Sibanda (58), Thikalatali Manyayi (48) and Piason Siziba (52) all of Majini Village, Zezane pleaded not guilty to kidnapping but were convicted due to overwhelming evidence against them by Gwanda regional magistrate, Mr Mark Dzira.
They were each sentenced to 18 months imprisonment but 12 months were suspended on condition that they do not commit a similar offence within the next five years. The remaining 12 months were further suspended on condition that they perform 424 hours of community service.
Siziba will perform his community service at Mosane Primary School, Sibanda at Majini Clinic while Manyayi will perform community service at Makado Police Station.
Prosecuting, Mr Silent Shoko said the trio kidnapped Mqhelisi Ncube from his home in Railway Block, West Nicholson and locked him up in one of their homes.
“On November 21 last year at around 8AM Sibanda, Manyayi and Siziba went to Plot 43 Railway Block looking for their stolen cattle. They purported to arrest the complainant and tied his hands and legs with a rope and demanded information on the whereabouts of the missing cattle,” he said.
Mr Shoko said the trio put the complainant in a car and went with him while they searched for the missing cattle at different plots. They continued the search the following day with the complainant still in their custody.
On November 27 they took him to Makado Police Station and handed him over to the cops.
In their defence, the trio denied kidnapping the complainant. They said the complainant voluntarily went with them to the police station after confessing that he knew where the missing cattle were.— @DubeMatutu
Online Reporter