A DETE man left people attending theHwange Magistrates’ Court shocked when it was revealed how he was found in possession of a hyena nose and tail in his undergarments claiming these were charms to protect him from any danger.
by Nokuthaba Dlamini
Ability Mhlanga (34) of Mansisiya Village in Tinde, revealed this when he appeared before Hwange regional magistrate, Portia Mhlanga facing charges of illegal possession of fake notes and removing parts of a wild animal.
The State told the court that on November 22 at around 8pm, Mhlanga, who was at Indlovu Night Club, bought a 750ml bottle of Gold Blend brandy and two energy drinks for $10 using a fake $50 note.
The barman, Nobert Ngwenya, told Mhlanga to wait for his change before being told by his colleagues that the note was fake.
The police were immediately notified and during the search, Mhlanga was found in possession of four $50 notes in his pockets that bore similar serial numbers.
As they continued to search him, they found a skinned nose and tail of a hyena in his undergarments, leading to his arrest.
Asked by the magistrate where he had got the fake money, Mhlanga said he got it from a gold panner in Zvishavane, where he had been temporarily working.
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Further quizzed about the nose and tail found in his pants, Mhlanga responded: “I was given this by my uncle in Binga when I was a small boy. I was instructed to always have it in my pockets or underpants wherever I go as it was going to protect me from any bad omen that could befall me.
“It used to work for me, but on that day in the bar, I do not know what went wrong because it hadn’t communicated of any danger. My uncle died some few months ago, so I didn’t know that it then stopped working. I beg the courts to forgive me as all these things were given to me by different people.”
He pleaded not guilty to the offences, arguing that a gold panner, who had hired him, should be answerable for the fake notes.
Mhlanga also said his late uncle and some of his relatives were answerable for the hyena body parts.
The accused was remanded in custody to December 8 for trial.
