Liberty Dube
A 28-YEAR-OLD Sakubva woman who in January hogged the limelight for possessing a tortoise, which she purportedly used to "sniff out witches" was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment after she labelled her neighbour a witch.

Charity Chayeruka (28), of Number 293, McGrecor, was sentenced to 10 months, of which four months were suspended on the usual conditions.
The remaining six months were suspended on condition that she performs 210 hours of unpaid work at Sakubva hospital when she recently appeared before Mutare magistrate, Mr Noah Gwatidzo.
The court heard that in January, Chaeruka branded her neighbour, Jean Chibonga of Number199, NHB in the same suburb a witch and further accused her of being responsible for her son's illness.
Chibonga saw a tortoise in her garden and called her neighbours to have a look at the unusual sighting.
She then went on to place it in her weaving basket intending to show it to her grandchildren who were not home by then.
But Chayeruka sent her child to collect the tortoise, claiming that it belonged to her.
Chibonga refused to release the tortoise before Chaeruka came to confront her about the issue.

The two exchanged harsh words until Chibonga reported the matter to the nearest police station claiming that Chayeruka had labelled her a witch.
Chayeruka confirmed that she owned the tortoise and used it to sniff out witches.
She said on the day the tortoise strayed into Chibonga's garden, she had actually sent it to sniff out the person responsible for her son's illness.
Truman Joma prosecuted.
ENDS