Desperate headman slaughters ‘stray’ goat for funeral

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A 46-YEAR-OLD headman and his brother slaughtered a stray goat for their brother’s funeral in a desperate attempt to avoid the embarrassment of failing to provide meat for mourners after the burial.

A 46-YEAR-OLD headman and his brother slaughtered a stray goat for their brother’s funeral in a desperate attempt to avoid the embarrassment of failing to provide meat for mourners after the burial.

OWN CORRESPONDENT

Garikai Ncube, the headman of Mahlau village under Chief Mafala, and his younger brother Tsivai Ncube (32), pleaded guilty to stocktheft charges when they appeared before Zvishavane magistrate Sangster Tavengwa.

They were remanded out of custody to tomorrow for sentencing.

The headman stunned the court when he tearfully pleaded with the magistrate saying poverty and desperation had forced them to slaughter the goat knowing that it did not belong to them and the owner would one day discover the crime.

“We had no food to give the mourners and our only solution was to slaughter the stray goat that I had kept for some weeks at my homestead,” he said.

“I did not know we were committing a serious offence, please have mercy on us.”

Tavengwa warned and cautioned the public against keeping or killing stray livestock, saying it was a serious offence.

“Matters like these ones are very serious and one can go for years in prison,” said Tavengwa.

“Do not domesticate or kill a stray animal no matter how lenient or merciful you are.”

Prosecutor Ausi Saidi told the court that on September 26, the Ncube brothers were at the headman’s homestead where their late brother Kudakwashe’s funeral wake was.

The two connived to slaughter a stray goat that Garikai had been keeping to provide meat for mourners.

The matter came to light when police received a tip-off and arrested the brothers after conducting investigations.

The slaughtered goat was valued at $30.