A MAN from Lusulu area in Binga, who stole two cattle belonging to a villager and attempted to exchange them for two tonnes of maize with another villager, has been slapped with an effective nine-year jail term for stocktheft.
SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Daniel Ncube (27) denied the charges of stocktheft when he appeared before Binga resident magistrate Stephen Ndlovu. However, he was convicted after a full trial.
Prosecutor Bruce Maphosa told the court that on October 19 2014 Ncube went to a grazing area at Chipale where he stole two oxen belonging to a villager only identified as Dube.
He drove them from Chipale to Nakaluba overnight where he wanted to exchange them for two tonnes of maize with Siabenzu Mutale.
It is the State’s case that Mutale had previously visited Ncube’s home, saying he wanted to exchange his maize produce for cattle and family members had said they have no cattle to sell.
But Ncube is alleged to have secretly approached Mutale telling him that he had some cattle in various places and he needed to sort their stock cards to enable him to clear them.
It is the State’s case that when Ncube later met Mutale, who asked if he had sorted the stock cards and where the cattle where, Ncube led him to the bush where he showed two stolen oxen tied together.
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The court heard that when the two got to where the cattle where, they found Dube and other villagers who were tracking their spoor.
In order to trap him, Dube told Ncube and Mutale that he and the villagers were members of the neighbourhood watch committee and were wondering who the cattle belong to.
Ncube then claimed the beasts were his and he was immediately apprehended.
In his defence, Ncube said he did not know anything about the cattle as he had just visited Mutale, only to be arrested for stocktheft.
He said he and the members of the neighbourhood watch committee had a grudge and that is what led to his arrest.
But the watch committee members said they had not seen him before.
