Vusumuzi Dube
Danisa Masuku
LIES don’t pay!
And to women: Lobola is not a race — don’t force a man when he is not financially ready.
A lovesick man has landed in hot water after staging a fake armed robbery — all because he had no money for lobola!
Delight Ncube (26) appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Themba Chimiso, facing a charge of deliberately supplying false information to a peace officer.
He pleaded guilty.
The court heard that Ncube told his girlfriend and her family that he was coming to pay US$6 000 as bride price. But there was one problem — he did not have the cash.
His girlfriend’s family prepared for the big day and waited for him, but time passed and he never showed up.
Around midday, Ncube called the family with a shocking story. He claimed he had been robbed at gunpoint of US$6 000 and a Mazda vehicle while travelling with his uncles to pay lobola.
He then went to Khumalo Police Station and reported the matter as an armed robbery.
But detectives from the Vehicle Theft Squad smelled a rat. Investigations revealed inconsistencies in his story, and officers questioned him further.
Under pressure, Ncube cracked and admitted he had staged the robbery to avoid losing his girlfriend.
In mitigation, he told the court: “I really apologise for what I did. I was pressured by my girlfriend, who wanted me to pay the bride price.
“She told me that her parents wanted US$6 000. Seeing that I could not raise it since I earn US$250, I had to come up with a plan of a fake robbery because I did not want to lose my lover, as I love her very much.”
Prosecutor Samuel Mpofu said Ncube had wasted police time and State resources.
The magistrate convicted Ncube and fined him US$100, which must be paid by March 31, 2026. Failure to pay will result in four months behind bars.
Police said the accused’s false report led to unnecessary investigations before the truth came out.
Online Reporter