Nelson Moyo, a 24-year-old man from Dibi village in Kezi, Matabeleland South Province, has been sentenced to perform 350 hours of community service at Nhlupho Secondary School after pleading guilty to two counts of theft.
Moyo stole two donkeys, marked them with false identities, and used them to till his fields.
Kezi Magistrate, Busani Sibanda handed Moyo a 15-month jail sentence but suspended five months on the condition that he does not commit any theft-related offenses within a five-year period.
An additional 10 months were suspended on the condition that Moyo completes the community service requirement.
In arriving at the sentence the magistrate noted that Moyo was a first-time offender and he didn’t waste the court’s time when he pleaded guilty to both counts of theft.
However, the magistrate highlighted that cases of theft of stray domestic animals were high in the area and as such a strong message should be sent to like-minded people.
The magistrate further said Moyo used the donkeys for free and benefited from the fruits of his crime.
The court heard that sometime in September last year Moyo saw a stray donkey in Dibi village. He then led the animal to his home, where he marked it with a false identification mark before using it to plough his fields.
The court further heard that sometime in November last year, Moyo again saw another stray donkey in the village.
He then repeated his actions, taking the animal home and ill3gally marking it with his own identification tag.
However, his concerned father who discovered the crime reported the inc!dent to the police, leading to Moyo’s @rrest.
B METRO
