'God sent me to steal'

A THIEF who broke into a neighbour's house and stole a Samsung Galaxy Tablet yesterday claimed that God directed him in a vision to steal the phone because it was "attractive".

Zibusiso Ndlovu, 21, pleaded guilty to unlawful entry and theft when he appeared before Hwange magistrate Rose Dube. In mitigation, Ndlovu of Makwika Village, said he couldn't sleep thinking about the gadget after seeing it with the owner, Sithabile Ngwenya, who is the complainant.

"I saw the complainant carrying the phone during the day and I admired it as it was attractive," Ndlovu said. "I couldn't sleep at night thinking about it and even when I slept, I could only dream about it. I thought God was showing me a vision and realised that the phone was attractive. That's when I went to steal it."

Dube sentenced Ndlovu to a wholly suspended 10 months in prison. Prosecuting, Lindiwe Maseko said Ndlovu broke into Ngwenya's house on the night of February 4 by gaining entry through a window.

"While inside, he stole a Samsung Galaxy which was on the charger and airtime recharge cards worth $7 and went away unnoticed," said Maseko. After noticing that her property had been stolen the next morning, Ngwenya reported the matter to the police.

Investigations then led to Ndlovu's arrest and the tablet, valued at $100, was recovered.