By Judith Sibanda
A Bulawayo maid has been ordered to perform 140 hours of community service after she ransacked her employer`s bedroom and stole US$1 250 and 100 Euro.
This was heard recently when Stacy Mpala (20) of Pumula suburb in Bulawayo appeared before Victoria Falls resident magistrate Rangarirai Gakanje answering to charges of theft.
It was the state’s case that on January 5, Edward Kasiya from Monde village under chief Mvuthu employed Mpala to clean his homestead while he travelled to Victoria Falls town.
While in the bedroom hut, Mpala found $1 250 and 100 Euro in Kasiya’s shirt which was hung in the wardrobe and went to report to her husband (name not supplied) who was at a nearby homestead.
The couple connived to steal the money and they made good on their plan.
However, through investigations Mpala was found a fortnight ago hiding at her rented house in Pumula leading to her arrest.
Asked by the magistrate why she committed the offence, Mpala responded; “I have a newborn baby who is less than two months old and when we travelled to Monde village, my husband and I had been fighting and he had suggested that we visit his sister who has a home there”.
“As I was cleaning the room, I was tempted to search my employer`s house and that is when I found the money in one of his shirts.
“I went to ask my husband if I should take it and he advised me to do so. I wanted to buy my child new clothes but unfortunately when I was arrested; my husband ran away and is still on the run with the money.”
In mitigation, Mpala said she did not have a stable job as she was a mobile hairdresser and had no valuable assets.
Gakanje handed her a 12-month imprisonment sentence that she was required to serve as follows, 3 months were suspended for five years while another three months were converted to 140 hours of community service at Pumula police station.
The additional five months were set aside on condition she restitutes her employer his money.
