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Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Correspondent
AN ELDERLY Nyanga woman was over the moon after acting Chief Saunyama’s court found her not guilty of stealing church property.
Church members had dragged the 60-year-old Gogo Victoria Muchiriwesi to court as they accused her of sending two minors to steal bricks from Church of Christ in Nyatate, Nyanga.
The bricks which had been purchased for the construction of a new church building would disappear every day, thereby forcing church members to set up a trap for the thieves. As a result, two minors were caught stealing the bricks. The children went on to implicate the elderly woman.
However, acting Chief Saunyama said Gogo Muchiriwesi had no case to answer as there was no evidence linking her to the crime.
“The children insist that they were supposed to deliver the stolen bricks to Gogo Muchiriwesi’s house, but that does not mean that she is the one who had sent them to steal them.
“This woman says she was expecting bricks from the children’s parents as they owe her some bricks, so the parents are the ones who have a case to answer,” ruled acting Chief Saunyama.
Presenting her side of the story, Gogo Muchiriwesi said a lot of villagers in Nyatate owe her bricks after she loaned them last year.
“They wanted to build some toilets at their homesteads and I had bricks at my homestead so they borrowed them. I gave the villagers the bricks and some of them are paying them back.
“Now, the Maidei family sent these two children to steal bricks at the church and give them to me.
“After catching the children red-handed and questioning them about where they were taking the bricks, the people at the church did not ask further questions. They concluded that I was the one who had sent the children to steal the bricks.
“I am now being labelled a thief by the whole village. They say l am using other people’s children to steal on my behalf,” she said.
When acting Chief Saunyama ruled in her favor, Gogo Muchiriwesi thanked the court for believing her testimony.
Meanwhile, a Church of Christ congregant, Wish Mazireni, said the church’s bricks had been disappearing for a long time.
“Every night, some of our bricks would disappear. The children implicated Gogo Muchiriwesi and we believed them,” she said.
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