The Chronicle

MIDLANDS, Thursday, October 12, 1967 — Rima de Sousa, who “planted” a small piece of gold in the house of Susan, an African woman, and then telephoned the police to say that the woman had illegally dealt in gold, was jailed for 18 months by the provincial magistrate, Mr Gerald Rose, at Gwelo today.

He pleaded guilty to an offence under the Gold Trade Act. He said he placed the gold on the woman’s premises with the intention that she would be prosecuted.

Sousa told the court that when he came out of prison, where he had been sent for possessing gold, he heard Susan was the person who had had him arrested and decided to plant a piece of gold in her house.

“I sent my brother with it in a piece of paper and told him to plant it in her house. He did this and I telephoned the police. I thought she would be caught and suffer as I had suffered”, he said.

D/S/O Edward JF Painting said that after Sousa contacted him, he searched Susan’s house and found the gold.

She denied all knowledge of it. “As far as I know Susan is not an informer. She provided no information in the case when Sousa was convicted”, he said. Insp RF Robins prosecuted. Later before Mr DK Utting, Albert Sachikonye, who was the man referred to by Sousa as his brother, was convicted on a similar charge.

He pleaded not guilty and claimed that he (Sousa) had planted the gold in Susan’s house. Sachikonye was remanded for sentence until tomorrow.