Online Reporter
Belindah Chikandiwa
A MAN from Lower Gweru has been sentenced to an effective nine years in jail for stealing and slaughtering five head of cattle.
Doubt Mloyi (35) of Xungu Scale Farm was convicted of stock theft by the Gweru Magistrates’ Court after he stole bovines valued at US$2 700 from a villager in Liya Village, Chief Sogwala.
In a statement released by the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe, on January 18 this year, Mloyi drove the cattle from the village grazing lands to his homestead.
He tied two of the beasts to a tree and proceeded to slaughter the other three approximately 20 metres from his home.
The offence was discovered when fellow villagers, who were searching for their missing livestock, stumbled upon the grisly scene and positively identified Mloyi.
The accused, however, fled into the nearby bush upon being discovered. Police were quick to respond, leading to the recovery of 29,65 kg of beef, a bovine hide, three ropes, an axe, and the two surviving cattle.
Stolen property worth US$1 000 was successfully recovered. Mloyi was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The court suspended one year of the sentence on condition he compensates the victim US$480.
The National Prosecuting Authority emphasised that such offences attract a minimum mandatory sentence of nine years, signalling the judiciary’s firm stance against cattle rustling.
