Woman jailed for stealing butter
Written by Millennium on February 6, 2021
Rabecca Banda writes
@SunZambian
A Lusaka woman has been jailed six months for stealing butter worth K1,643.
Before magistrate Nsunge Chanda was Evelyn Bwalya 37 of Chazanga the accused.
Facts before the court were that Osborn Gondwe reported on behalf of ShopRite Manda Hill that whilst he was packing items on the shelf, he saw a woman putting packets of butter in her hand bag.
He informed the guard as soon as Bwalya walked out , the guard asked to check her bag.
The guard found packets of butter in her hand bag and reported her to the police.
Magistrate: How did you steal?
Bwalya: I went to ShopRite Manda Hill, I got a trolley and went to the vegetable section. I got rape and put it in the there. I proceeded to another section and got 12 packets of butter. I did not realise that someone was watching. I also didn’t know that there were cameras.
Magistrate:what happened at the door as you were about to leave?
Bwalya: When I walked out the guard asked me to stop. She asked to check my hand bag and allowed her. She found the packts of butter I had stolen.
Magistrate: Why did you decide to steal?
Bwalya: I was asked to move out from the house where I stay. I wanted to steal and sell the butter to raise money for rent.
Magistrate: you have been stealing in order to pay rent?
Bwalya: No it was my first time.
Bwalya pleaded for mercy saying she left her child alone in a rented house.
She said she was sorry and had learned a lesson.
Magistrate Chanda said it was unfortunate that instead of working hard a woman like her could resort to stealing.
She said life is difficult for everyone but that should not mean that one must steal to survive. The court jailed Bwalya six months simple imprisonment.
