Calvin Manika
POLICE in Jotsholo arrested a 43 years old woman who was transporting ten tons of government inputs she had reportedly bought from Binga’s Lusulu area for resale.
An alert police night roadblock at a 201 kilometre peg along Bulawayo – Victoria Falls road at the beginning of this month intercepted an ERF truck, approaching from Dandanda direction heading for Bulawayo loaded with bags of fertilisers.
The accused, Mutodi Ziviso appeared before Lupane magistrate Ndumo Masuku facing Unlawful sale, Purchase and Possession of Agricultural Inputs and Contract Produce charges.
Ziviso was however lucky to escape a jail term after the magistrate fined her $5000 or three months imprisonment in case she failed to pay. However the fertilisers were forfeited by the state.
For the State Passmore Gumbo told the court that the truck was driven by one Washington Dangirwa while the accused Ziviso was on board heading to Harare.
He said upon search and verifications, the truck was found loaded with bags of fertilisers whose packaging indicated that they were government inputs.
When the police interviewed the duo Ziviso claimed ownership of the consignment citing that she bought the fertiliser from Lusulu in Binga area, the court heard.
The court further heard that further interrogation unearthed that she did not have authentic supporting documents.
Verifications which were made with the Ministry of Agriculture representative official Ntokozo Moyo from Agritex in Jotsholo showed that the truck was loaded with 138x 50kgs compound D fertiliser, 04x 50 kgs AN, 39 x 50kg CAN and 119x50kgs Blue LAN, all with a total of 300 bags (10 tons).
