Two men from Harare have been ordered to perform unpaid community service and pay fines after being caught selling underweight sugar.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Ernest Gwetsai (30) from Glenview 1 and Forget Dzapasi from Glen Norah A were recently convicted in the Harare Magistrates’ Court on two counts related to the sale of falsely labelled and underweight sugar.
The duo was found guilty of delivering products with misleading labels and selling goods without invoices.
They sold “Star Brands 2kg” brown sugar, which was found to be underweight, ranging from 1.243 to 1.330 kg per pack.
The illegal activities were uncovered by police detectives, who purchased a case of the sugar from KKK shop at Target Building, Corner Bute and Rezende St, Harare, in June 2024.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Gwetsai and Dzapasi were the suppliers of the sugar, but they could not provide any documentation for a second consignment delivered to the same shop. They were unable to explain the lack of invoices or delivery notes for the goods.
As a result, the two men were sentenced to 12 months in prison, with four months suspended for five years.
An additional eight months were suspended on the condition that they complete 210 hours of community service.
They were also fined US$100 for selling goods without invoices.
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