Online Reporter
Moreblessing Ncube
A 23-YEAR-OLD man dragged before the courts for possessing dagga tried to package his habit as a “stress management programme.”
Junior Banda, who boldly told the court he uses weed “to relax,” insisted that being an orphan makes life tough and the herb helps him unwind.
There was no empathy on the part of the court.
His sob story was chucked out.
“My father passed away and I live with my mother. I feel like a burden since I’m not working,” he pleaded, hoping the magistrate would see him as a stressed young man just vibing with nature.
Police, however, had a different vibe altogether. Prosecutor Brenda Ndlovu told the court that on 7 December, officers on night patrol along Biston Belmond West found Banda perched on a stone like a confused night owl. When asked what he was doing sitting in the dark, he allegedly mumbled an answer that made as much sense as a broken WhatsApp voice note.
A quick search revealed the real reason for his stony meditation. Officers fished out a sachet of dagga from his right trousers, instantly upgrading his night from “just chilling” to “you’re under arrest.”
On 8 December, Banda and his leafy stress reliever were ferried to Zimpost Wayo where the stash weighed in at four grams valued at sixty bucks. From there, both man and marijuana were handed over to CID Drugs.
When Banda finally appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Vimbai Chirai, she grilled him on his relaxation excuse, asking if everyone under pressure should turn to dagga. She reminded him there are actually legal ways to cope with stress.
Banda didn’t have an answer. Maybe he needed another stone to sit on.
He was remanded in custody to 12 December, probably wishing stress relief came in a form that didn’t land him in court.
