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Lisa Mangena, Court Reporter

A 26-YEAR-OLD maid has been arrested for stealing clothes and groceries worth about $20 000 from a family in Bulawayo.

Primrose Sharon Makopa told Western Commonage magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube that she stole her employer, Ms Euphrasia Siwela’s property so she could sell it and buy her ill mother medicine.

“May the court forgive me, l made a mistake by stealing the property. I just wanted to buy my mother medicine and was going to use some of the money as bus fare to my home in Gokwe,” she said.

Makopa pleaded guilty to a charge of theft and her matter was stood down as the prosecutor, Ms Samantha Gubede, wanted to check if she has previous convictions.

Ms Gubede said on May 3, Makopa told her employer that she was leaving for her rural home to visit her sick mother.

“She took her clothes and also took a bag that Ms Siwela suspected contained the stolen items. She stole groceries that included rice, bath soap, sugar and clothes that included children’s school uniforms, boys’ tackies and some T-shirts,” she said.

The court heard that after a few days, Ms Siwela started to notice that there were some items that were missing and she suspected her maid.

A police report was made and investigations were carried out.

Makopa was arrested at her home in Gokwe.

The total value of the stolen property was $21 500 and goods worth $552 were recovered.

—@LissahMangena