adminLethokuhle Moyo Court Reporter
A NYAMANDLOVU man has dragged his sister to court demanding compensation for his three donkeys that allegedly died when they were in her custody.Henry Tshuma of Village one, Nyamandlovu sued his sister Thenjiwe Sibanda also of Nyamandlovu saying he wanted her to either give him back the three donkeys or provide monetary compensation.
He claimed that each donkey was worth $200.
Tshuma told Bulawayo magistrate Victor Mpofu that he gave the three donkeys to his sister for safe-keeping but she has been dilly dallying about handing them back to him.
He claimed that he had bought the donkeys from one Darlington and his sister had given them to another villager identified only as Mlungisi.
“Your worship, I bought these donkeys from Darlington and the donkeys were kept by my sister. She took them away and gave them to another man in the village,” said Tshuma.
He added that he started demanding his money when his sister lied that the donkeys had died following a disease outbreak.
Magistrate Mpofu ordered Tshuma to bring Darlington — the man who allegedly sold the donkeys to him — to court before postponing the matter to May 5.
Addressing the court, Sibanda disputed her brother’s account.
She told the magistrate that Tshuma gave money to her then ailing husband to cover medical bills before he died and received a donkey in return. She said the donkeys later multiplied to three, but had since all died.
“Your Worship, before my husband died he fell sick. My brother assisted us with R600. When my husband recovered, he gave him a small foal of a donkey,” Sibanda said.
“The foal grew up and had two more. When they were now three, there was a disease outbreak and they were all affected leading to their death. The donkeys that he is claiming now are mine not his because his were killed by the disease outbreak.”
Bongani Moyo
Online Reporter