Man steals from his mother

Lesley Chikudo, 

A 34-year-old Bulawayo man who allegedly stole from his mother has been dragged to court facing theft charges.

Matthew Mutobaya, from Nketa suburb, appeared before Western Commonage Magistrate Mr Mehluli Moyo, who remanded him in custody to 27 January.

He is being charged with two counts of theft. Prosecutor Mrs Ellen Matenga said the first count occurred on 24 December 2024 when Mutobaya allegedly stole a DSTV decoder and sold it.

“The offence is alleged to have occurred around 4pm when Mutobaya was sitting in the sitting room and his mother, Mrs Irene Mutobaya, was in her bedroom folding her clothes.

“That is when she noticed that there was no longer any noise in the sitting room. She then went to check and noticed that the accused was no longer in the house, and the decoder was missing,” said Mrs Matenga.

As for the other count, Mrs Matenga told the court that on 29 December 2024, Mutobaya went into his mother’s bedroom, took a trunk claiming it was his, and sold it.

Testifying in court, Mrs Mutobaya said that on the day in question, Mutobaya was pacing up and down in the sitting room while insulting and harassing her.

“He was pacing up and down in the sitting room, and I asked him why he was doing that. He did not give me a proper answer; instead, he started to harass and insult me. I then went into my bedroom to do my chores, and after a few minutes, the noise in the sitting room had stopped. The television was no longer producing any sound. That’s when I decided to go and check what was happening,” she said.

Mrs Mutobaya told the court that when she entered the sitting room, she found the television off and the accused was no longer in the house. She then noticed that the decoder was missing.

For the other count, she found her trunk missing in the house and was told that it had been taken by Mutobaya.

In his defence, Mutobaya pleaded not guilty to the first count but admitted to taking the trunk, claiming it was a gift from his cousin.

“I did not steal the decoder. I suspect that my mother might have taken the decoder and hidden it away from me so that I would not make noise in the house. As for the trunk, I did take it, as it belonged to me. I never thought I would be accused of stealing it as it was a gift from my cousin,” he said.