Man steals from Judge to pay lobola

A Beatrice man stole $1 130 and a cellphone worth $500 from High Court judge Justice Mary Dube intending to use the money to pay lobola after his wife had been taken away by her parents.

Andrew Kusaya (23) of Plumstead Farm in Beatrice said this during mitigation but revealed that he was later arrested squandering the money at a beerhall.

Kusaya pleaded guilty to theft charges before Chitungwiza magistrate Mr Lazarus Murendo and was slapped with a two-and-a-half year jail term.

Mr Murendo suspended 10 months of his sentence for the next five years and a further four months were set aside on condition Kusaya pays back $333 to justice Dube.

He will spend one year and four months behind bars. In sentencing him, Mr Murendo said: "Your claim that the money and the cellphone you stole was meant to pay for the bride price is unacceptable for you were arrested in a beerhall squandering the money," said Mr Murendo.

Circumstances are that on Independence Day midnight, Justice Dube was asleep when Kusaya climbed into her house through the window stealing cash and a Samsung Galaxy cellphone.

After committing the offence, he escaped through the same entry and hid part of the loot at a river bank.
Justice Dube discovered the theft and reported the matter.