Nasty surprise for shoppers

Gibson Mhaka
A Bulawayo man pooped inside a supermarket without being spotted by internal security guards resultingAï¿½ in shoppers fleeing as if he had placed a grenade in their vicinity.

In full view of shoppers Lucky Mthombeni (26) from Mpopoma suburb did the unbelievable in protest over high prices of alcohol at the supermarket.

Circumstances are that on 6 July at around midday Mthombeni, who is a tout, stormed into OK supermarket situated at corner Lobengula Street and 6th Avenue.

While inside, he proceeded to the liquor side and dropped his pair of trousers and did aï¿½?number twoaï¿½?.

While performing the act, Mthombeni reportedly called on other shoppers to do the same claiming he was protesting against the high prices of whisky and spirits.

Some shoppers who reportedly failed to breathe in the presence ofAï¿½ his foul smelling stool bolted out of the supermarket and notified police officers on patrol nearby.

The police officers swiftly reacted and arrested him before he could make good his escape.

For the offence, he was dragged before Bulawayo magistrate Charity Maphosa charged with public indecency as defined in section 77 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

Mthombeni did not, however, waste the courtaï¿½ï¿½s time when he pleaded guilty subsequently leading to his sentencing.

Asked by the magistrate why he committed the offence, Mthombeni sent the court into muffled fits of laughter when he said unlike what was being said by witnesses that he was protesting against high prices of whisky and spirits, the supermarket was the only aï¿½?nearest and convenientaï¿½? building for his nasty deposit since he was having a running stomach.

aï¿½?So you are saying along Lobengula Street there are no toilets or alleys where you were supposed to relieve yourself than going into the supermarket?aï¿½? asked the magistrate.

Responded Mthombeni: aï¿½?I am very sorry Your Worship for my actions and may this court bear with me that the supermarket was the only nearest place for my problem since I was having a running stomach.aï¿½?

Commenting before sentencing Mthombeni, the magistrate said since he did not clean his mess upon his arrest it was proper for him to perform community service cleaning toilets so that he can have a aï¿½?first handaï¿½? experience of how it feels to clean oneaï¿½ï¿½s mess.

In her ruling the magistrate wholly commuted the three months imprisonment she had initially slapped Mthombeni with to 105 hours of community service at Mpopoma High School.