adminWalter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
A SERIAL shoplifter from Mutare was paraded before shoppers after being smeared with flour and mealie-meal, for stealing two ladies outfits from a Masvingo boutique and hiding them between her legs, a court heard. Shop assistants allegedly intercepted Portia Maphosa, 40, of Sakubva at the door of Miracle Touch Boutique as she tried to leave the shop.
The assistants had watched her on CCTV cameras stuffing the two ladies suits between her legs.
Masvingo magistrate Sibonginkosi Mkandla on Monday convicted Maphosa on her own plea of guilty.
Mkandla sentenced her to two months in prison without an option of a fine.
Mkandla said Maphosa deserved a custodial sentence because she had become a serial shoplifter.
“You don’t deserve a non-custodial sentence because you’ve previous convictions. Being a single parent will not justify your actions of depriving shop owners of their stock. You should learn that shoplifting doesn’t pay by going to jail for two months so that you can come back a reformed woman,” said Mkandla.
In mitigation, Maphosa said she is a single parent with two children of school-going age and she wanted to sell the loot to raise money to pay rent and for children’s upkeep.
“I didn’t know that someone was watching me on CCTV cameras, otherwise I wouldn’t have attempted to steal. I’ve two children of school-going age,” said Maphosa.
Maphosa also said she was humiliated by the shop owners who sprinkled mealie-meal on her when they caught her.
For the State, Joshua Mundondo told the court that sometime last week Maphosa went into Miracle Touch Boutique and stole two ladies suits worth $100.
The outfits were recovered.
derick.khumalo