ZANU PF Councillor Arrested For Stealing Cattle
A ZANU PF councillor in Insiza North has been accused of stealing cattle and selling them to Esigodini Abattoir.
Insiza North Ward 17 councillor Sindiso Ndlovu (40), and his co-accused, Buhle Nkomazana (29), appeared before Magistrate Talent Phiri at Filabusi Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, reported CITE.
They were each granted ZWL$500 000 bail and remanded to 14 December 2023.
Prosecuting, Shepherd Moyo alleged that Ndlovu stole a cow and an ox from Richard Dube’s farm. Said Moyo:
Allegations are that on a date unknown to the prosecutor but during the period extending from the 10th day of November 2023 to the 13th day of November 2023, Ndlovu proceeded to Richard Dube’s farm and stole one brown cow with a white bottom and white tail end, branded DAL3K3, and one brindle ox with a spot on the face, dehorned and not branded, and took them to his place of residence where he kept them before selling them to Nkomazana.
Accused 3, who is still at large, cleared the stolen cattle using ZRP form 392 serial number 4006573 and he quoted Ndlovu’s brandmark on the clearance form yet the stolen cattle did not have Ndlovu’s brandmark on them.
He also indicated on the clearance form that all the stolen cattle had the same earmark yet they had different earmarks.
Moyo further alleged that Ndlovu then took the stolen cattle to Esigodini Abattoir and sold them. He said:
The police who were investigating another case received a tip-off that Ndlovu was in possession of some stolen cattle.
Upon acting on that tip-off, the police interviewed Nkomazana, who was at Break and Tum Butchery, Nkankezi business center, Filabusi, and he informed the police that he had bought the cattle from Ndlovu and had sold them at Esigodini Abattoir.
The police proceeded to Esigodini Abattoir where they recovered hides that had Dube’s brand marks on them.
Onias Dube, the receiving officer at the abattoir, implicated Nkomazana, who in turn implicated Ndlovu, leading to their arrest.
In Zimbabwe, where a person is convicted of stock theft in contravention of section 114 (2) of the Criminal Law [Codification and Reform] Act, [Cap 9: 23], and there are no special circumstances, the court has no choice but to impose nothing less than the minimum mandatory penalty of nine years imprisonment.
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