'Villagers would want cannabis as payment,' court told

A 32-YEAR-OLD Bulilima woman who wanted to use cannabis to lure fellow villagers into working in her fields, has been sentenced to 210 hours of community service after she was found in possession of the drug.

Nogety Ngwenya of Kandana area was found with 151 twists of cannabis hidden in her bedroom.

She appeared before Plumtree magistrate Mr Gideon Ruvetsa facing charges of possessing cannabis.

Ngwenya told the court that she was keeping the cannabis as it was in great demand in her area.

"A lot of people in my area use cannabis Your Worship. I was planning on holding a ploughing event at my homestead and I knew that the villagers would want cannabis as payment. If you hold such an event in our area and you do not provide cannabis, villagers boycott it," said Ngwenya.

Prosecuting Mr Clemence Shawarira said on 28 January detectives received information that Ngwenya was dealing in cannabis.

He said theywent to her homestead and upon searching her bedroom recovered 151 twists of cannabis hidden in a bucket.

"Police detectives, who were patrolling the area, received information that Ngwenya was dealing in drugs. Upon searching her homestead they recovered 151 twists of cannabis with a total weight of 0,194 kilogrammes resulting in her immediate arrest," said the prosecutor.

Ngwenya was sentenced to nine months imprisonment of which three were suspended for five years on condition that she does not within the same period commit an offence of the same nature.

The remaining six months were suspended on condition that she performs 210 hours of community service at Kandana Primary School.