MDC official cons woman (77) of two oxen

Councillor Julius Tshuma (56), of Ward 12 in Tsholotsho was arrested on Tuesday together with a business partner, Ms Thepi Tshaba (40).
The two allegedly misrepresented to Mrs Daisy Ndebele that they would exchange her two oxen valued at $1 000, for two heifers in April last year.
They allegedly took Mrs Ndebele’s beasts, slaughtered them and sold the meat without giving Mrs Ndebele her heifers.
They reportedly started giving the old woman excuses every time she travelled about seven kilometres to their homestead to ask about the promised heifers.
Tshuma’s arrest comes barely two weeks after a senior Tsholotsho MDC-T official, Witness Sibanda (53), was arrested for stocktheft and assault.
The officer commanding crime in Lupane police district, Superintendent Obert Ngirazi, confirmed Tshuma’s arrest          yesterday.
He said Mrs Ndebele approached Tshuma and Tshaba after                  she heard that they were in the business of exchanging oxen for heifers.
“In April last year, the two allegedly assured Mrs Ndebele                    that they would take her oxen and buy her two heifers. They reportedly slaughtered the beasts and sold the meat,” said Supt Ngirazi.
He said after two months, Mrs Ndebele became anxious when Tshuma and Tshaba did not deliver the promised heifers.
“She went to their homestead and they promised to give her the heifers,” he said.
Supt Ngirazi said on subsequent visits, the pair told Mrs Ndebele that they could not give her the heifers because there was a ban on cattle sales and livestock movement due to an anthrax outbreak that affected Matabeleland North last year.
“This year she visited them again but got no joy prompting                    her to report to Tsholotsho Police Station on Tuesday, leading to the arrest of Tshuma and Tshaba,” said Supt Ngirazi.
Last week, Sibanda of MDC-T was arrested after selling a heifer to a villager and allegedly later lying to the villager that the calf the animal had was killed by wild animals.
He allegedly assaulted the villager when he confronted him to ask about the whereabouts of the calf.
Police were reportedly able to establish that he was hiding the calf, leading to his arrest for stocktheft and assault.