Prison escapee caught boozing

AN inmate who escaped from prison has been sentenced to four months behind bars.

Aleck Jack (19) appeared before a Bulawayo magistrate facing a charge of escaping from lawful custody.

After a full trial, Jack was convicted, and the magistrate slapped him with a six-month jail term. However, two months were suspended on condition he does not commit a similar offence within five years. The magistrate said Jack was a dangerous criminal because he escaped from lawful custody and locking him up would make him reform, and deter others from committing such an offence.

Sometime in September this year, the court heard, Jack — who was about to complete serving a sentence for assault — was assigned to work at a company that manufactures bricks, which is situated in Bulawayo’s Cement Siding suburb. When his supervisor sent him to collect some items from the offices, Jack decided to escape. On the same day, in the evening, when prison wardens were conducting a roll call, they discovered that Jack had escaped and a manhunt was launched.

However, his luck ran out, as he was caught boozing at a drinking spot in Figtree, Matabeleland South province, leading to his arrest. — B-Metro

Marriage ‘curse’ troubles family

Three Chimanimani siblings have sought the assistance of a traditional court to find out why 16 of their female relatives between the ages of 20 and 40 are not yet married.

Loveness Chihota (34), Anniah Chokera (27) and Liberty Chokera said they are curious to know what could be causing the marriage delays. The trio also accused their uncles of wizardry. The three dragged their uncles Oliver, Nobert, Lovemore, John, Ngwarirai and Tendai

Chokera to acting Chief Saurombe’s court.

In an interview recently, Anniah said although they have lost hope of ever getting married, they are now fighting for their younger siblings.

She said each time one of them elopes, she is shown the exit door within a week.

“We are cousins suffering from this strange phenomenon. In fact, a total of 16 women are not married in our family. We have tried to seek an audience with our fathers, but it seems all of them do not care.

“They act as if they are working jointly to stop us from getting married. We have secretly approached spiritual healers and we were told that our fathers are behind our suffering,” said Anniah.

“It is getting out of hand because when one of us elopes, she is possessed by an unknown spirit and it manifests in front of the in-laws. Within a week, they would have sent you back to your parents’ home. This has been happening for a long time. Most of us have encountered this,” she said.

Loveness said despite being gifted with good looks, men in the area now dread befriending or dating women from her family.

“We have tried to engage our fathers over this issue, but our pleas have been falling on deaf ears. We decided to seek the services of the traditional courts for our plea to be heard. We are good-looking, but potential suitors from our area no longer want to get close to us,” she said.

Loveness also said some of their siblings suffer from bouts of mental illness.

Testifying before the same court, Liberty said some of his siblings mysteriously disappear at night.

“We have been assisted by the local neighbourhood police to look for our siblings following their mysterious disappearances. It looks like they sleepwalk but when you question them over the issue, they say an invisible person whips them and orders them to leave the house.

“Our parents have tried to sleep with the children in their bedrooms but this has not helped in any way. Even if you lock the doors, the children will leave the rooms,” he said. Responding to the allegations on behalf of all his brothers, Nobert said they are equally concerned with what is happening in their family.

“No father wants to see his daughter remain single forever. Our daughters are very beautiful and we also wonder why no one is trying to seek their hands in marriage. We have tried everything to address this anomaly with no joy. We do not know who is behind this, but the truth is that no one among us is responsible,” he said.

The family was referred to a traditional healer. However, the traditional healer ordered them to come back with their brother, Tendai, who was absent on the day.

The matter was adjourned to a later date. — Manica Post

Man storms magistrate’s office, threatens to assault him

AN irate man stormed the Chipinge resident magistrate’s office and threatened to assault him over his late father’s pending case.

Police swiftly reacted and arrested Promise Baiwa (42), who was armed with a metal spring. Baiwa allegedly went to the clerk of court’s office at the Chipinge Magistrates’ Court and requested the record of his late father’s lawsuit against ZBS Housing Scheme for unpaid work.

The matter is pending before the High Court. After feeling that he was not being adequately assisted by the clerk of court, the following day, Baiwa went back to the court and requested to see the magistrate in charge of the case.

It is alleged Baiwa was told that the magistrate was in a meeting and this incensed him.

Baiwa has since appeared before the same magistrate, facing charges of disorderly conduct in a public place. He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody.

An order was issued for Baiwa to be examined by specialists to ascertain his mental state.

The public prosecutor said on October 12, Baiwa, who had visited the Chipinge clerk of court’s office the previous day to check for his late father’s record, came back to make a follow-up on the issue.

“The record is currently pending at the High Court after he registered it through the Integrated Electronic Case Management System. On the day in question, Baiwa visited the court to follow up on the record, as advised on his previous visit. He was advised that the resident magistrate was in a meeting and he had to wait for him. This did not go down well with Baiwa, who proceeded to the resident magistrate’s office,” said the public prosecutor.

It is alleged Baiwa stormed the magistrates’ office while wielding a metal spring, and confronted him. He allegedly shouted that he wanted to deal with him for failing to give him the court papers he had requested. —