An unexpected case turned into a comedic spectacle in court where Pascal Moyo, 27, from the remote village of Sibomvu in Plumtree, Matabeleland South, found himself the center of attention for reasons both surprising and humorous.
Moyo, charged with burglary, made a startling confession: he had st0len women’s underwear in a bid to satisfy his wife’s demands.
“Yes, Your Worship,” Moyo admitted with a sheepish grin, “I took the underwear along with other items. My wife had been asking for new ones, and when the opportunity arose, I seized it.”
His admission elicited laughter from the courtroom, including from the usually stern magistrate, Joshua Nembaware, who struggled to suppress his amusement.
ALSO READ: EcoCash agent swindles kidney patient out of US$13,000
The court learned that Moyo wasn’t new to crime; he had a prior conviction for burglary from September of the previous year. Facing a total of 30 months in prison, Moyo received some leniency.
Six months of his sentence were suspended on the condition he remained law-abiding, and another six months were contingent on him repaying the stolen amount of US$163.50 by the end of 2024. This left him with a practical sentence of 24 months.
Prosecutor Selestine Madziwa laid out Moyo’s criminal antics. On July 6, 2024, Moyo had broken into Simenyeni Ncube’s shop at Bhagani Business Centre, making off with a pair of ladies’ panties, trousers, camphor cream, Dettol soap, and a black handbag. While the stolen goods totaled US$53, only US$25 worth was recovered.
The investigation revealed Moyo’s ongoing misdeeds extended to his own family. On April 26, 2022, Moyo used duplicate keys to break into his mother Banabet Dube’s room, where he stole R2,500 from a cash box.
He didn’t stop there; on July 29, he returned to pilfer mealie-meal, soya chunks, and cooking oil. His mother’s reports of these thefts led to his arrest.
Moyo’s audacity also included a farm heist where he cut a fence and stole 2,500 bricks, which he later sold. This final act of thievery cemented his fate in the courtroom.
As the gavel came down, the courtroom’s laughter subsided, but Pascal Moyo’s tale of misguided devotion and his series of criminal escapades continued to be the buzz of Plumtree.
