Cape Town - A Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) member has been arrested for stealing groceries.
Sihlzuluking Ndashata, 32, appeared before magistrate Shane Kubonera, on charges of shoplifting, according to Zimbabwean news outlet ZimEye.net.
According to local media, the court heard that on April 29 at around 11am, Ndashata entered Borne Marche Supermarket in Chisipite, which is located in Harare and took a trolley and selected groceries.
He left with goods worth $69 944.38 and left without paying.
He was, however, caught by an alert security guard who asked for a receipt, which he failed to produce.
CCTV footage showed that this was not the first time that Ndashata had committed the offence, Zim Eye reported.
This is also not the first time that a Zimbabwean solider has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. In 2020, a soldier was caught red-handed shop-lifting an $11 brandy bottle from a supermarket.
NewZimbabwe reported that Cashington Gumisai, 40, appeared before Mutare magistrate Prisca Manhibi facing shoplifting charges and was fined.
According to MbareTimes, as the economic crisis continues to bite and sparring no-one in the southern African countr, some members of the security forces have resorted to crime to supplement their meagre wages.
Gumisai pleaded guilty to the charges. Quizzed on why he committed the crime, Gumisai told the court he was forced to steal because he only earns $750 per month, local media said.
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