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Tendai Gukutikwa Mutare Correspondent
A Burma Valley man recently learnt to do mixed cropping the proper way after a Mutare magistrate slapped him with a four-year jail term for growing 414 dagga plants in his vegetable garden.

Phillip Chadambuka (40) of Mambere Village, Manzununu, under Chief Zimunya was convicted on his own plea of guilty when he appeared in court on Monday, before Ms Perseverance Makala. Chadambuka was being charged with unlawful cultivating of dagga, as defined in Section 157 (c) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23. Ms Makala had initially slapped him with a four-year jail term. She, however, wholly suspended a year on condition of good behaviour.

He will serve an effective three-year jail term. Detectives who received information that Chadambuka had dagga plants in his garden proceeded to his homestead, where they ordered him to lead them to his vegetable garden. The detectives found 414 dagga plants growing in the garden. The recovered plants were measured and had an average height of 117 centimetres. In his mitigation, Chadambuka told the court he had been ignorant of the fact that dagga was illegal in the country.

“Your Worship, I admit that I committed the offence and I do not deny it on any grounds. I, however, beg for forgiveness. I did not know that it was a crime since I stay in a remote area where we seldom get news on many matters including policy,” he said.