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Fungai Jachi Court Correspondent
A 64-year-old man, Silas John Karambakura, was on Wednesday sentenced to 18 months in prison for possessing 43,4 kg of mbanje valued at $4 340. Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe sentenced Karambakura to two years in jail for possession of mbanje and suspended six months of the sentence for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence.
Karambakura was fined $50 for cultivating mbanje, $100 for failure to secure a firearm and $50 for failure to renew a firearm licence. In passing sentence Mr Mahwe considered that Karambakura was an elderly first offender. “You are a first offender but against you, I have taken into account that you were found in possession of 43,4 kg of dagga (mbanje).”
In respect of the other counts, Mr Mahwe said a moderate fine was appropriate since the offences were not serious. Facts are that on October 5 Karambakura was found in possession of 43,4kg of mbanje with a street value of $4 340 in his fowl run in addition to six mbanje plants in his garden. He was also found in possession of two unlicensed firearms.
Online Reporter