Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, Victoria Falls Bureau
A 38-YEAR-OLD Victoria Falls woman has been sentenced to 10 months in prison, after being convicted of unlawfully selling dagga (cannabis) to juveniles at her residence, in the Aerodrome suburb of Victoria Falls.
Natiwe Mudimba will, however, serve an effective six months in prison after Victoria Falls resident magistrate, Mr Gift Manyika, suspended four months of the sentence on condition that she does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.
Representing the State, Mrs Portia Moyo told the court that on 21 March 2025, at a house in Aerodrome, Mudimba unlawfully possessed three sachets of dagga weighing 10,41 grammes, which she intended to sell without a licence or permit.
“On 21 March 2025, around 8am, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics Victoria Falls received information to the effect that Mudimba was selling dagga to juveniles, at her place of residence.
“Equipped with the supplied information, the detectives conducted surveillance at the said address, where the accused person was spotted with two male juveniles at her house. Police detectives then intercepted the two male juveniles as they were coming from Mudimba’s house,” said Mrs Moyo.
She said a systematic body search was conducted on both male juveniles, leading to the recovery of a plastic sachet of dagga from one of the juveniles’ pockets. He then indicated that he had bought it from Mudimba.
“Police detectives proceeded to the accused’s place of residence, where they introduced themselves and informed her of their mission, to which she granted them permission. A body search was conducted on the accused person and the police recovered two plastic sachets of dagga hidden inside her bra,” said Mrs Moyo.
The recovered substances were produced in court as exhibits.
Mrs Moyo said Mudimba was then escorted to the police station, where the recovered substance was weighed at Zimpost Victoria Falls in her presence, with a recorded total weight of 0,011 kilogrammes.
“The recovered substance was taken to a forensic laboratory for examination and it weighed 10,41 grammes. The recovered substance has a street value of ZiG90,00,” said Mrs Moyo.
In sentencing Mudimba, Mr Manyika said the evidence presented left no doubt that the accused knowingly engaged in the predatory act of selling illicit substances to minors. He stated that minors are impressionable, vulnerable and entitled to the protection of the court and every responsible adult.
He further stated that drug abuse, particularly among the youth, is a poison that cripples potential, fuels delinquency and devastates families, adding that what begins as experimentation can spiral into addiction, academic failure and a lifetime of suffering. — @nyeve14
