A prohibited immigrant, who entered the country illegally, will spend the next 15 years behind bars after he was found in possession of drugs.
The Zimbabwean man, Pasvel Ngwenya, 30, who was found in possession of dagga and two tablets of methcathinone, has since pleaded guilty to all the charges, further claiming that he took the drugs to relieve himself of stress.
Magistrate Jobbie Moilatshimo sentenced Ngwenya to two months imprisonment for entering the country illegally, wholly suspended for two years on condition that he does not commit the same offence.
She sentenced him to two years for possession of dagga and the sentences will run concurrently.
For the more serious charge of possession of two tablets of cat, she sentenced him to 15 years in prison and a P5000.00 fine to be paid in six weeks failure of which he will get an additional five years in prison.
Ngwenya who was declared a Prohibited Immigrant sometime in 2011 was arrested in Mogoditshane on the 17th September, 2022 and he pleaded guilty to all the three charges.
In mitigation Ngwenya said he was the breadwinner for his family after he lost his parents in a car accident.
He said he was taking care of his siblings, had three children who needed his support and that he was a recovering addict who needed a second chance to educate the public on the dangers of drug abuse.
He said he ended up using drugs to relieve stress that was taking a toll on him.
He also told the court that he did not know that after being declared a Prohibited Immigrant, he had to review the status after ten years.
“Ignorance of the law cannot be used as an excuse. The convict is not a First time offender, but since the previous convictions date back to over 10 years, I will treat him as a First Offender,” the magistrate said.
Moilatshimo further said she found no special extenuating circumstances to impose a lesser sentence saying drug abuse has serious implications on individual users and the society as a whole.
