For stealing an underwear, a 23-YEAR-OLD man of Garden in Lusaka will spend the next six months in jail.  Brian Bwalya stole three underwear on August 14 this year and magistrate Brian Simachela took none of his mitigation during sentencing yesterday. Bwalya asked God, the magistrate and the people of Zambia to forgive him. “Don’t send me to jail, I have BP,” he said.

Magistrate Simachela said he took note of Bwalya’s mitigation and that he deserved leniency. “[But] I have observed with great concern the rate at which people are stealing in chain stores and something has to be done [to curb the vice],” he said and passed the verdict. He sentenced him to six months imprisonment with hard labour for stealing the three pairs of underwear from Shoprite.

Facts are that on the material day, Enock Sakala, a security guard at Manda Hill Shoprite Stores, was conducting routine security checks around the premises. Mr Sakala then found empty packs of male underwear. A suspicious-looking Bwalya was near the empty packs for the underwear.
Mr Sakala then asked what Bwalya was carrying but he did not respond. This prompted the guard to conduct a body search on Bwalya. Mr Sakala recovered three pairs of underwear which were hidden in Bwalya’s boxer shorts.

And a senior male public prosecutor has been taken to court for allegedly referring to a female public prosecutor as a prostitute. Richard Nyeleti, 49, is charged with using insulting language. On September 17 this year, Nyeleti, of Makeni Villa, allegedly used insulting language to Chipo Gura by referring to her as a prostitute and other unprintable statements.

The said insulting sentiments were likely to provoke Gura and cause her to break public peace or commit an offence. When the matter came up yesterday before magistrate Thandose Chabala, the straight-faced Nyeleti denied the charge. His lawyers immediately applied for bail, which was granted in the sum of K2,500 cash with two working sureties bound to a sum of K5,000 each in their own recognisance.

As she granted the bail, the magistrate warned Nyeleti not to interfere with prosecution witnesses. Earlier, magistrate Chabala castigated Nyeleti for not observing court etiquette. She castigated the court official for chewing a pen clip while she was presiding over matters. “Stand up!, what are you chewing? Don’t do that in my court, we deal with serious matters here,” the incensed magistrate said. The matter resumes on Octobe