E500 fine for women who stole from employer
MBABANE- Magistrate Innocent Motsa yesterday exercised leniency on two employees, who stole from their employer.
Motsa passed the lenient sentence after Thandekile Mashaba (29) of Siphocosini and Khanyisile Dlamini (30) of Gobholo, had narrated the circumstances that led to the commission of the offence.
The duo, who was employed by Khan Mohammed Wajahat at Classic Leather shop, informed the court that stealing from their employer was the last thing they could do after Wajahat showed signs of dishonesty.
They claimed on the day they committed the offence, Wajahat came to work very late without explaining the cause.
Discovered
They stated that even when he arrived at the shop, they discovered that he had moved the shop’s stock to another shop without their knowledge.
“At first, we thought he was hiding the stock from Eswatini Revenue Service because he was not complying with taxes.
“However, we later suspected that he was planning to leave the country yet he had not paid us our salaries. Our employer is used to underpaying us,” Mashaba told the court.
She claimed that they took the stock valued at E2 350 to sell and cover their salaries.
The stolen items included a pair of Grasshopper shoes, pair of Nike sneakers, three pairs of Adidas sandals, all totaling E2 350.
Mashaba pleaded for the court’s leniency, stating that she had two children to look after as a single parent. Dlamini, on the other hand, pleaded for leniency, stating that she was faced with difficulties, since she was not paid.
“Report your employer to the relevant structures if he/she fails to pay you as opposed to stealing from him/her.
“You are not allowed to take the law into your own hands if owed salaries,” Motsa said, before sentencing the duo to five months imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of E500 each.
Suspended
Motsa suspended the sentence for one year on condition the duo was not convicted of a similar offence.
He also advised the duo to lodge a claim at the Small Claims Court for redress. Motsa said it was unfortunate that the employer was Asian, meaning he could leave anytime without paying the employees.