A Zimbabwean mother who came to Botswana hoping to dig out a living in the abandoned mines of Matsiloje will spend the next month in prison after she was unable to pay the P100 fine court imposed on her.
38-year-old Lucadia Ndlovu’s dreams of gold turned to dust last Wednesday (October 16, 2024), when, along with her homeboy, Zwelithini Ncube, she was busted by patrolling officers digging near Albert’s Farms.
The pair were slapped with two counts: illegal mining and entering the country through an ungazetted point.
Hauled before Francistown Magistrates Court a week after their arrest, the duo pleaded guilty to both charges.
Fighting back the tears, the upset Ndlovu begged for mercy, explaining she was driven from her home in Tsholotsho village out of desperation.
“I left my children alone in Zimbabwe,” she added.
Her sob story and her willingness not to waste court’s time by confessing to the crime earned Ndlovu a soft sentence.
For being in Botswana illegally, the gold-digger was hit with a wholly suspended three-month jail term.
She was also fined P100 for her gold mining exploits.
Unfortunately, the broke Ndlovu did not have enough cash to pay the penalty, her failure to do so earning her a month behind bars.
As a second time offender, the punishment was slightly stiffer for Ncube.
The 33-year-old, who appeared before the same court for the same crime in January this year, shared a similar tale of woe as his co-accused, revealing he too had left his child back home in Zim.
Ncube received six months imprisonment for border jumping as well as a P100 fine for illegal mining.
Unable (or unwilling?) to stump up the money, the Zimbabwean received an additional one-month to his sentence, meaning he will not breathe free air until April next year.
