By A Correspondent- A Victoria Falls man who was in the business of smuggling prohibited products from Zambia into Zimbabwe has been jailed for six months after being caught with cases of cane spirits and skin lightening creams.

Gracious Nkomo (45) of Chinotimba suburb was caught by ZimParks rangers who handed him over to the police after finding him in the bush near the border carrying a sack full of smuggled goods.

Nkomo, who once served 10 months in two separate previous convictions for a similar crime, pleaded guilty to smuggling when he appeared before the Victoria Falls magistrate Ms Rangarirai Gakanje yesterday.

He told the court that he survives on smuggling goods for resale. “I am not employed and I went to Zambia to buy those goods for resale as that is the only way I get money for my upkeep,” he said. 

The magistrate sentenced him to six months in prison before suspending two months on condition of good behaviour.

For the State, Mr Jacob Kuzipa said Nkomo smuggled cases of ice cane spirit and a variety of skin lightening creams.

Both products are prohibited in Zimbabwe.

“On 31 December 2019 around 2PM in a bushy area near Victoria Falls border post, a member of the National Parks and Wildlife Authority Mr Posent Mudenda was on patrol when he came across Nkomo carrying a sack and apprehended him. Mudenda ordered Nkomo to open his sack and he found cases of 33 by 200ml of ice cane spirit and different kinds of skin lightening creams,” said Mr Kuzipa.

-StateMedia