High Court slashes ‘irrational’ 19-year jail term for Tsholotsho housebreaker

📅 Published: August 26, 2025

Curated by AllZimNews.com

The suspension periods were nothing but thumb sucks. ” Although the judges acknowledged Ndebele’s record as a repeat offender—he was already serving an activated eight-month term from a prior conviction—they found the lower court failed to strike a balance between punishment and fairness. “An offender must not be visited with a sentence that is intended to break him,” Justice Mutevedzi said. “Even if by some miracle he managed to restitute the complainants, the effective sentence of 10 years and 4 months was still manifestly excessive.

It would leave the offender not only broken but also hopeless. ” The High Court replaced the magistrate’s ruling with a consolidated seven-year jail term, to run consecutively with the previously suspended eight months.

Ndebele will now serve an effective sentence of seven years and eight months. “The sentences imposed by the trial court were a maze,” the judges concluded. “It is improbable that the unrepresented offender understood their import because even a trained mind would struggle to do so. ” on Twitter –>. 🔗

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