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Michael Magoronga Midlands Correspondent
A Gokwe woman was la st week sentenced to 12 months in prison after she was found in possession of two kilogrammes of dagga stashed in her bedroom.

Netsai Shanangura (38) of 2063 Mafungautsi in Gokwe was convicted and sentenced by Kwekwe magistrate Mr Storey Rushambwa on her own plea of guilty to possession of illegal drugs.

She will serve an effective 10 months after Mr Rushambwa set aside two months considering that she did not waste the court’s time.

“I wanted to give you a harsh sentence, but I considered the fact that you are a female who also did not waste the court’s time,” he said. “Otherwise the offence attracts a harsh sentence, but you will serve only 10 months behind bars.”

In mitigation, Shanangura told the court that selling the drug was her only source of livelihood following the death of her husband some years back.

“Your Worship, this is my way of survival,” she said. “My husband died years back and he left me with this legacy of selling mbanje. That is the only way I send my children to school and put food on their table.”

According to State papers, on June 24 at Empress Shopping Centre in Zhombe, police officers received a tip-off that Shanangura was in possession of mbanje.

Acting on the tip-off, the police officers went to her house where they found the mbanje stashed in five blue plastic paper bags.

Meanwhile, a Gweru woman has been slapped with a six-month jail term after she convicted of assaulting her neighbour’s child with a stone after a confrontation with the baby’s mother, reports our Midlands reporter Babbingon Machingura.

Vimbai Muvhuni (19) of 1887 Woodlands Park was convicted by Midlands provincial magistrate Ms Phathekile Msipa after she pleaded guilty to the charges.

In passing the sentence, Ms Msipa said that the accused was a danger to society since she had assaulted an innocent child who could have died.

It is the State case that on May 27 Muvhuni had a misunderstanding with the complainant, who is her neigh- bour.

Muvhuni accused her neighbour of gossiping and stoned her child in revenge.

The baby’s mother reported the matter to Nehanda Police Station leading to Muvhuni’s arrest.

Mr Daniel Tafumanei prosecuted.