Itezhi Tezhi Magistrate Court Judge Keggan Litiya has sentenced a 30-year-old man of Itezhi Tezhi to five years imprisonment for stealing seven goats.
This is a matter in which Gilbert Kapoma of Buunga area in Chief Shimbizhi’s chiefdom in Itezhi Tezhi district in Central Province, was charged with stock theft contrary to section 275 and 272 of the penal code cap 87 of the laws of Zambia
Particulars of the case were that on January 28, 2020, Kapoma did steal seven goats valued at K1, 300, the property of Babylon Masika.
When the matter came up for plea before court, Kapoma admitted the charge of stock theft.
Facts were that the plaintiff on January 28 around 18 hours secured his goats in the goat house and went to sleep at his house. The following day, he discovered that the lock to the goat house was tempered with and 7 goats were missing.
The plaintiff then reported the matter to Itezhi Tezhi police station, where officers instituted investigations in the matter, leading to the apprehension of Kapoma.
In mitigation, Kapoma pleaded for leniency saying he committed the crime because of hunger.
Senior State prosecutor Luckson Ngoma stated that the accused had no bona fide right to steal the goats.
In passing judgement, Magistrate Litiya explained that he had taken into consideration what Malukwa said in mitigation, noting that cases of stock theft were very serious offences and prevalent in the district.
He said that the court has duty to mete out punishment to deter would be offenders.
“It takes time and money for one to raise goats but you became very selfish and stole them when your friend struggled to raise them. I therefore sentence you to 24 months with hard labour” Magistrate Litiya said.
The so called “justice system” in Zambia is for small thieves while the big men get away with stealing billions of Kwacha.
Injustice at its peak.
Thieves that have stolen millions of dollars through dubious contracts, overpricing tenders and money laundering are scot free.
Thieves that have stolen taxpayer’s money get paid for rigging elections and assaulting people.
There is no hope for this country. Not as long as ignorant, violent, arrogant, dishonest persons are the ones in the corridors of power and are the ones that have the ears of those in leadership.
Sharks freely roaming the streets but kapentas are easily hauled in….what a world we live in
If somebody can be jailed for 5 years for stealing 7 goats…How many years should the corrupt PF leadership get for plundering the country’s assets and shady inflated contracts,,, Mukula, road contracts, ambulances…list goes on.. The chaps should get a million years each.. Unbelievable INJUSTICE! Stealing is unacceptable but surely the thief should have been ordered to pay back for the goats and perhaps sent for a year with hard labour to teach him a lesson especially if he is a first offender..
Sorry i cant stop laughing, 5 years for 7 goats , PF stole more than 1,7 Billion ZMK , All PF together with Lungu should get LIFETIME IN PRISON
Kit0tela, 2turdy Mw@le, 3ric Ch!Mese, Health Minister Kitalu Kilufya, Jean Mukula the Baptist, & other P.F Bandits are walking free having shamelessly Plundered BILLIONS, whilst people stealing Goats are locked up for eternity??
Anyway most of these same poor people swear by their “almighty God” that P.F & Andr3w Ej!madu is the way forward for Zambia.
No wonder Daniel Foote was mocking us. Sending someone to jail for 5 years over 7 goats while the politician thieves continue plundering millions of kwacha. And even in cases where a politician thief is convicted and sentenced to at least 5 years they do not even serve half of the jail sentence as they are pardoned in no time by the President. What an unfair world! A world of great injustice.
Is the Judiciary in Zambia interested in knowing the mistakes it’s making so that they’re corrected? 5 yrs for stealing 7 goats. How many of the Chiluba-era generals and politicians were ever sentenced to such a long time in jail for the millions they embezzled? Go on like this and sooner than you think a statistical study of sentences u pass will be conducted by a graduate student so that u are put to world shame by graphical display of the unfairness u are calling justice. U hv no idea hw masterly of quantitative technics in dispensation of justice has advanced and it’s coming for u sooner than u think.
All bloggers here hv probably heard the latest funny decision. A magistrate has allowed a foreigner charged with bribing some high-profile persons to hv access to their passport so that they can access so-called medical treatment in their country which does not hv a treaty with Zambia to extradite each other’s citizens facing serious crimes. This foreigner is clearly a flight risk. Surprisingly, even the prosecution it would appear has not objected to the decision. This whole trial is bound to collapse bcos the foreigner is key to the trial of high-profile persons. Failure to dispense justice is one of the causes of failed-state status.
All of you take several seats!!! You do not read but are quick to let your views know on facts that are not clear at all. Lusaka Times does it again with poor reporting standards. Did he get 5 years or 24 months – which is 2 years? LT, really?
Indeed , is 24 months equal to 5 years?
If the magistrate said 24 months then its a very fair sentence .