Danisa Masuku Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO man has been jailed for two years after being found in possession of 1,3 kilogrammes of dagga valued at ZiG40 380.
Thembelani Ngwenya (44) was convicted on his own plea of guilty to unlawful possession of dagga by Bulawayo regional magistrate Ms Aelen Munamati.
He will, however, effectively serve 16 months in prison after the court suspended eight months of the sentence for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence during that period.
In passing the sentence, Ms Munamati said a custodial term was necessary to deter drug-related offences, as the Government continued to commit resources towards fighting drug and substance abuse.
“The Government is grappling with the fight against drug and substance abuse. Moreover, the Government is spending a lot of financial resources in the fight against drug and substance abuse.
“You have to be jailed so that you reform and so that it will send a message to would-be offenders,” she said.
In mitigation, Ngwenya pleaded for leniency, saying he was a first-time offender, the sole breadwinner in his family and had minor children who depended on him.
“I beg the court to be lenient when sentencing me because I am a first-time offender. I am the sole breadwinner and have minor children.
“If I am slapped with long years in prison, my children will suffer and will drop out of school,” he said.
However, prosecutor Ms Karen Gundani urged the court to impose a custodial sentence, arguing that drug and substance abuse was harming communities.
“The offender committed a serious crime and many people have fallen victim to drug and substance abuse. Instead of joining the fight against drug and substance abuse, he was peddling the dagga.
The State prays for a custodial sentence,” she said.
The court heard that on October 5 at around 11AM, detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department’s Drugs and Narcotics section in Bulawayo were patrolling the intersection of Fort
Street and Second Avenue when they became suspicious of Ngwenya and an accomplice who were walking together.
The detectives stopped and searched the two men, recovering three transparent plastic bags containing loose dagga inside a black satchel strapped to Ngwenya’s back.
The pair were asked to produce licences or permits authorising them to possess the drug but failed to do so, leading to their arrest.
The dagga was seized and taken to the Bulawayo Main Post Office for weighing in the presence of Ngwenya and his accomplice. It weighed 1,346 kg and had an estimated street value of ZiG40 380.
