A female teacher at Madlambuzi Primary School in Bulilima District stole an assortment of food items including sanitary pads valued at $9 at a supermarket in Plumtree.
Madrine Ncube (28) told a court that she recently got employment and had no money to pay.
She secured a job as an ECD teacher.
However, her pleas for forgiveness did not stop Plumtree magistrate Livard Philemon to convert and sentence her to six months imprisonment of which three months were suspended for five years on condition that she does not within the period commit an offence of the same nature.
The remaining three months were suspended on condition that she performs 105 hours of community service at Madlambuzi Police Station.
The schoolteacher begged for the court’s leniency after citing that she did not want to lose her job.
“I beg to be pardoned Your Worship because if I go to prison I will lose my job. I recently secured a job as an ECD teacher and I did not have any food to take with me to school that is why I stole the groceries.
“I cannot do community service either because that will mean I will not be able to report for duty at school. Could you give me a warning and discharge me,” she said.
Den since she get wrerk, why she neva trust from the local grocery shop :bingung She thieFt di people dem tings and nuh waan do time nor community service….she kinda brite doe…