Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
THE Beitbridge Regional Magistrate Court has sentenced a 35-year-old soldier to an effective 30 months in prison for smuggling 13 kg of marijuana (Mbanje) into South Africa through Beitbridge Border Post.
Sikelela Ndlovu of Cowdray Park in Bulawayo, who is deployed in Harare, initially escaped from the scene upon being cornered by security manning the border post, but was later arrested.
His co-accused, Clifford Murungweni (21) of Beitbridge, was acquitted after a full trial when they both appeared before Ms Charity Maphosa.
Ndlovu will, however, only spend 30-months in jail after 18 months of his 48-month sentence were conditionally set aside for five years.
The 13kg of Mbanje were forfeited to the State as part of the sentence. Prosecuting Miss Mercy Nyathi told the court that on March 10 at around 12:10 am, police officers who were on deployment at Old Bridge illegal crossing point stopped Murungweni and Ndlovu.
The two were walking from the Zimbabwean border towards the South African border, carrying two black suitcases.
She said that upon being stopped, Ndlovu dropped the suitcase and ran away, leaving Murungweni with the suitcases.
The police officers searched the two suitcases and recovered 20 transparent packs of dagga, each pack containing four packets of dagga, totalling 80 packets of dagga altogether.
Murungweni was arrested and taken to CID Drugs together with the recovered dagga for further management.
The court heard that on the same day at around 7 am, Murungweni’s sister lured Ndlovu back to Beitbridge border post.
Ndlovu was arrested upon arrival at the border post. The recovered Mbanje, which weighed 13,522 kilograms and was worth US$1 352,20, was seized by the police.
