A ZIMBABWEAN woman has been jailed one year and ordered to pay 10 000 pula fine after being arrested for possession of illegal drugs in Botswana.Twenty-one-year-old Nomsa Koga was arrested following a raid at her home by Batswana police.
According to Botswana media reports, Koga cried with joy after being sentenced by a Francistown Magistrates Court because the punishment could have been much worse.Koga had been behind bars since September 27 last year, following a police raid at her Tonota home, where the officers recovered from under a mattress nine sachets of Methcathinone (a drug commonly known as CAT or ephedrine).
It emerged that Koga was overheard telling officers she sells a sachet for 50 pula.The media also reported that her husband, Ngonidzashe Koga (23), was also arrested soon after the raid, but he told police that he was not aware of the drugs and charges against him were dropped.
Koga was heavily pregnant with her second child when she was arrested and gave birth to a baby boy in prison a few days later.Facing a possible 20-year jail term, overcome with emotion, the small-time drug dealer broke down in court after being handed a lenient sentence.
The jail term was backdated to the time of her incarceration, meaning she will be free by September 27 this year, provided she pays the P10 000 fine before February 6.
The court noted that failure to meet the deadline will see her prison term doubling to two years.
In mitigation, Koga, who pleaded guilty, begged for leniency.