Stockthief jailed 20 years

Marvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
A CATTLE rustler from Gwanda District who stole 13 beasts from Botswana has been slapped with a 20-year jail term. Bigboy Ndou (41) of Tshanyaugwe area under Chief Marupi yesterday appeared before Matabeleland South provincial magistrate Mr Douglas Vakayi Chikwekwe to answer to stock theft charges.

Ndou was facing two counts of stealing 12 cattle belonging to Mr Oteng Matswagole and Mr Matthew Dube’s bull, both of them from  Bobonong Village, Bubira sub-district in Botswana.

He pleaded not guilty but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence.
In sentencing Ndou, Mr Chikwekwe said he had treated both counts as one.

Ndou was sentenced to 20 years in prison of which four years of the sentence were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
Of the remaining 16 years, two were suspended on condition that he paid compensation of $1 800 to one of the complainants, Matswagole through the Gwanda clerk of court on or before 2 December this year.
Failure to pay compensation, Ndou will serve an effective 16 years.

Sometime during September this year, Ndou connived with two other people who are still at large, Mpokeni Siziba and Tsetani Ndou, to steal cattle from  neighbouring Botswana.

On 19 September, Siziba and Tsetani illegally crossed into Botswana and proceeded into the grazing lands and found 13 beasts which they  drove into Zimbabwe and to Ndou’s home.

Ndou with his accomplices then branded the cattle with Ndou’s brand iron pressing it on Mr Matswagole’s brand mark and completely erased it.

Ndou then built a makeshift cattle kraal in his fields where he secured the cattle and they were herded by his two accomplices.
On 12 October, police officers on an anti-stock theft operation received information on the presence of the stolen cattle at Ndou’s home and arrested him.

Ndou led the police officers to his field, resulting in  the recovery of eight cattle valued at $3 600 and a bull valued at $450.
Four cattle valued at $1 800 were not recovered.

On the same day, Mr Matswagole positively identified his eight beasts while Mr Dube’s nephew Bareedi Magombe identified the bull.
Mr Edward Ndlovu prosecuted while Mr McAllister Ncube of Mabhikwa, Hikwa and Nyathi Legal Practitioners represented Ndou.