Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura
A 33-YEAR-OLD Bulawayo man, who was accused of possessing 53 sachets of dagga, has been acquitted after the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence linking him to the drugs.
Western Commonage magistrate, Mr Archie Wochiwunga, cleared the accused, Langton Mbanje of charges of possessing dangerous drugs, ruling that the dagga allegedly found near his home was not recovered from his direct possession.
“The witness searched both Langton and his house, but nothing was recovered. The witnesses claimed they saw the accused hiding the dagga in a pot, yet no tool or weapon was recovered that he allegedly used to dig the pit,” said Mr Wochiwunga.
He further stated that the State had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. However, with no direct link to Mbanje, Mr Wochiwunga dismissed the charges.
“Furthermore, the witnesses failed to specify what he used to dig, creating uncertainty. Accordingly, the accused is found not guilty and acquitted,” ruled the magistrate.
Mbanje, who pleaded not guilty, maintained that no dagga was ever found on him.
“Why didn’t the police officers arrest me immediately if they truly saw me digging a hole to hide dagga?” he asked in court.
The State, which was represented by Mr Tafara Dzimbanhete had alleged that on June 13, detectives conducting surveillance in Cowdray Park received a tip-off that Mbanje was in possession of dagga near his home.
The State claimed the detectives hid and observed him burying a plastic bag in a pit before covering it with soil.
According to the State, a search of the area led to the recovery of a plastic bag containing 38 sachets of dagga and another 14 sachets found in an empty juice container. The substances were weighed at Bulawayo’s Main Post Office, amounting to 207 grams with a street value of ZWG 5 796.
