The Sunday News
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu
A 33-year-old Bulilima man will spend the next six months in jail for burning his girlfriend’s clothes and documents after suspecting that she was cheating on him.
Gift Ngwenya of Masendu area also burnt his girlfriend’s National Identity Card and birth certificate.
He was convicted on his own plea of guilty to unlawful entry and malicious damage to property by Plumtree magistrate Mr Livard Philemon.
Ngwenya was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment but six months were suspended on condition that he does not within the next five years commit a similar offence.
Prosecuting, Ms Mavis Gwafa said Ngwenya burnt Ms Metron Sibanda’s belongings on 12 August at about 12 midnight.
“Ngwenya visited his girlfriend’s homestead and banged on the door ordering her to open for him. Ms Sibanda ignored Ngwenya who went on to break one of the windows of her bedroom hut in order to gain entry.
“Ngwenya started accusing his girlfriend of having an affair with another man. Sensing danger, Ms Sibanda fled from the homestead and left Ngwenya alone in her house,” she said.
Ms Gwafa said Ngwenya took some of his girlfriend’s clothes which comprised eight skirts, a jersey, a hat, three pairs of shoes and two skin tights. He also took her national ID and birth certificate and started a fire in his girlfriend’s kitchen hut and burnt the valuables.
Ms Gwafa said Ms Sibanda reported the matter to the police resulting in Ngwenya’s arrest.
The value of damaged valuables is $80.
In his mitigation Ngwenya told the court that his girlfriend’s actions of dishonesty drove him into committing the offence.
“I was pissed off Your Worship but my aim was to burn only her clothes as a way of teaching her a lesson. I didn’t realise that I had also taken her National ID and birth certificate and burnt them as well. I heard that she was having an affair although she denied it when I confronted her,” he said.
