News / National
illiterate Harare thief tells court he is 3-yrs-old
21 Dec 2011 at 16:56hrs | Views
A HATCLIFF MAN of questionable sanity left the court in stitches when he claimed that he was THREE YEARS OLD. Rogers Takaendesa had been convicted of theft when he made the ridiculous claim.
"How old are you?" asked Harare magistrate Gamuchirai Siwardi. "I'm three years old," answered Rogers, and he was serious. The court was left dumb-founded and efforts to ask him several times proved fruitless as he kept on saying his favourite number ' three.
"Ok, when were you born?" quizzed the court. "I was born in 80," he said. "So how old are you then?" he was further asked. "All I know is that I'm three years old," reiterated Rogers. Asked how old he thought the male interpreter who was in court was, Rogers left everyone in much laughter as he answered. "I think he (interpreter) is ONE YEARS old," he said. The court had no choice but to ask, "Are you normal?"
"Fundo ndopasina, handina kuenda kuchikoro. (I'm normal; it's just that I'm illiterate)." Rogers had been convicted of theft after he stole from his neighbour, Daniel Frank. It was on November 25 in the evening when he met Daniel along a footpath while he was on his way home. The State, led by prosecutor Gift Zumbika, proved that Rogers offered to carry Daniel's solar panel and the latter thought it was a good gesture from the neighbour not knowing that he (Rogers) had other devious plans.
Along the way, claims are that Rogers asked to be excused saying that he wanted to relieve himself while in fact he wanted to relieve Daniel of his solar panel for good. Rogers disappeared into the fields and when Daniel looked back to see if his neighbour was done, he was shocked to see the former nowhere to be found.
Daniel later made a police report leading to the arrest of the bad neighbour, who was slapped with a three months jail term which was suspended on condition that he restitutes US$120 before January 30 next year.
"How old are you?" asked Harare magistrate Gamuchirai Siwardi. "I'm three years old," answered Rogers, and he was serious. The court was left dumb-founded and efforts to ask him several times proved fruitless as he kept on saying his favourite number ' three.
"Ok, when were you born?" quizzed the court. "I was born in 80," he said. "So how old are you then?" he was further asked. "All I know is that I'm three years old," reiterated Rogers. Asked how old he thought the male interpreter who was in court was, Rogers left everyone in much laughter as he answered. "I think he (interpreter) is ONE YEARS old," he said. The court had no choice but to ask, "Are you normal?"
"Fundo ndopasina, handina kuenda kuchikoro. (I'm normal; it's just that I'm illiterate)." Rogers had been convicted of theft after he stole from his neighbour, Daniel Frank. It was on November 25 in the evening when he met Daniel along a footpath while he was on his way home. The State, led by prosecutor Gift Zumbika, proved that Rogers offered to carry Daniel's solar panel and the latter thought it was a good gesture from the neighbour not knowing that he (Rogers) had other devious plans.
Along the way, claims are that Rogers asked to be excused saying that he wanted to relieve himself while in fact he wanted to relieve Daniel of his solar panel for good. Rogers disappeared into the fields and when Daniel looked back to see if his neighbour was done, he was shocked to see the former nowhere to be found.
Daniel later made a police report leading to the arrest of the bad neighbour, who was slapped with a three months jail term which was suspended on condition that he restitutes US$120 before January 30 next year.
Source - H-Metro
