adminTinashe Hazvide
STEALING his mother’s chicken for rituals backfired for a Honde Valley man after he was fined $20 by a Mutare magistrate.
John Nderera (28) was convicted by Mrs Sekai Chiundura and was ordered to pay $20, failure of which would result in him spending a month behind bars.
The court heard that on September 11, Nderera, who is a father of two, was caught red-handed by his father around 9pm while stealing his mother’s chicken.
This was after his father had heard noise coming from the fowl run and went out to investigate.
He found Nderera in the fowl run, about to leave but holding a chicken. He woke up his wife and a police report was made leading to his arrest.
In his defence, Nderera said he had a problem and had visited a traditional healer who instructed him to bring a chicken foot so that he could help him out of his predicament.
He said since he did not own chickens he decided to steal from his mother.
“Your Worship, I went to consult a traditional healer because I had a problem and he instructed me to bring a chicken foot.
“My intention was not to steal the chicken, but I just wanted to cut its toe and release it, but I was caught before I could do that.
“My father thought I wanted to steal the chicken,” said Nderera.
In sentencing him, Mrs Chiundura said Nderera should be ashamed of his actions of stealing from his mother who is also giving him shelter at his age.
He was ordered to pay a fine of $20 before September 23 or face imprisonment for one month.
Since he was a first offender, another one month was suspended on condition that he did not commit a similar offence in the next two years.
Meanwhile, a Hobhouse high-density suburb man left the gallery in stitches after pleading guilty to charges of stealing his neighbours’ four rabbits and a chicken.
David Maphosa (44), a father of five, appeared before Mutare magistrate Mr Poterai Gwezhira facing charges of theft last week.
Mr Gwezhira ordered Maphosa to pay an amount equivalent to a chicken to the complainant, Bertha Masimba, and four rabbits to Patrick Tumbare.
Failure to pay the required amount would result in him facing 30 days in jail.
The court heard that on August 26, Maphosa stole Masimba’s chicken and Tumbare’s rabbits.
In his defence, Maphosa said he did not steal the rabbits but they feasted on their meat together with the complainant.
“Your Worship, I did not steal the rabbits.
“The complainant is the one who came with the meat and we ate together,” he said.
Online Reporter