Headman escapes theft charges

A Mudzi village head was dragged before the magistrates court on Friday facing charges of stealing government agricultural inputs after forging signatures of intended beneficiaries.

Fira Chizisano (47) was lucky to escape jail after he was cleared of the charges by Mutoko magistrate Elijah Sibanda.

Prosecutor Nathan Mujuru alleged that between December 2021 and February, Chizisano received agricultural inputs for onward distribution to the villagers.

However, it is alleged that the village head instead forged the signatures of intended beneficiaries and converted the inputs to personal use.

The magistrate dismissed the case citing lack of overwhelming evidence before accusing police detectives of failing to properly investigate the case.

— SIMBARASHE SITHOLE