Beer theft earns Zim man strokes

Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday March 17, 2014 15:51

Gurai Itai from Zimbabwe was punished after he was found guilty of stealing from and insulting the shop attendants at Co-op Bottle Store in Bontleng on Thursday.  Itai was charged with two criminal offences, common theft and common nuisance of the Penal Code of Botswana.

It was said that Itai went to the bottle store with his friend Tawanda Muzoka where he took two bottles of beer.  The court learnt that Itai gave Muzoka a 660ml bottle of Castle Lite to pay for and went outside with a 650ml bottle of Core Cider worth P15.50, which he did not pay for.

When the shop attendants, Neo Leshomo and Bontle Seloka noticed the incident, they confronted the accused who refused to pay for the beer, the court learnt.  At the time, he was already drinking the beer. They told the court that Itai refused to pay for the beer insisting that he had paid for it.  They said that they then urged him to show them the purchase receipt but he failed to produce it.

During the confrontation, Leshomo and Seloja ended up in a heated argument with Itai who insulted and threatened to assault the two, the court further learnt. 

The police were then called to the scene to find Itai still drinking the beer and escorted him to the station where he was held overnight in a cell.  He was later given the charges with the half empty bottle of beer presented as evidence in court.

Customary Court deputy president, Patricia Radipadi, charged the accused for both the offences taking into consideration that he was a first offender.  Itai was slapped with a one-year suspended imprisonment term as long as he does not commit another crime in five years.   He was ordered to pay the P15.50 within two days, as failure to do so would result in his goods being confiscated and auctioned to pay for the stolen beer. She ordered the court to dispose of the beer.

In mitigation, Itai apologised to the court for his reckless behaviour saying that he was under the influence of alcohol.  He pleaded with the court to withdraw the four strokes decreed as his body ached following a recent assault by thieves who made away with his phone leaving him in a lot of pain.  He also pleaded with the court to change the verdict. Radipati denied the request saying that the assault incident was irrelevant to his case.