Landlord in court for burning tenant’s property

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A Bulawayo landlord was on Friday arraigned before the courts after he allegedly burnt his tenant’s property, which had been removed from the house, as they suspected that a snake was hiding it in.

A Bulawayo landlord was on Friday arraigned before the courts after he allegedly burnt his tenant’s property, which had been removed from the house, as they suspected that a snake was hiding it in.

STAFF REPORTER

Nkundleni Tshuma (40), of Kingsdale appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Merlyin Mutshina accused of burning his lodger, Johnsen Gumbo Chuma’s property.

He was not asked to plead to charges of malicious damage to property and the magistrate remanded him out of custody to August 21 for trial.

Prosecutor Dumisani Moyo told the court that at an unknown date, but in August 2012, Nanziwe Tshabalala and the complainant’s wife removed the property worth $984 from the house they were lodging in after a snake slid into the house.

They wanted to kill the serpent.

It is the State’s case that they placed the property close to a rubbish pit and went away.

It is the State case that Tshuma started a fire at the rubbish pit, which then destroyed Chuma’s property worth $874.

Only property worth $110 was recovered. A report made to the police led to Tshuma’s arrest.

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