A 28-year-old man from Themba Ndlovu Homestead in Mashala Village, Hwange, was sentenced to six months imprisonment for stealing a goat, slaughtering it, and selling the meat back to its rightful owner. The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe confirmed the sentencing on January 14, 2025.
The incident occurred on January 8, 2025, at a grazing area in Mashala. The accused, Shylock Zulu, unlawfully took a black-and-white male goat belonging to Thabani Sibanda. After slaughtering the goat, Zulu transported the meat to Sibanda’s homestead, where he fraudulently sold it to the owner, claiming it was bushbuck meat. Sibanda, however, became suspicious as his goat had recently gone missing.
The case was brought before the court, where Zulu was convicted of stock theft. He was sentenced to six months in prison, with three months suspended on the condition that he does not commit a similar offense within the next five years. The remaining three months were suspended on the condition that Zulu compensates Sibanda with ZWL$1057.
