Man gets 12 months for selling fried dog meat in Balaka

Nov 23, 2015 Top News 67
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Malawi24
Machinga

He may have only wanted to make ends meet as Malawi is sailing through troubled economic waters but for selling fried dog meat, a Balaka court has slapped him with 12 months Imprisonment with Hard Labour (IHL).

The Balaka Second Grade Magistrate court has sent Ishmael Jumbe,  31 to 12 months for selling dog meat.

According to Group Village Headwoman Phimbi, the issue came to light after the son of a man who ate the meat told his father that he saw the suspect skinning a dog at his home.

“When they asked the suspect what he did with the meat, he revealed to have cooked it and sold it as “mang’ina” at the trading centre,” said Phimbi.

Balaka Police public relations officer, Inspector Joseph Sauka told Malawi24 in an interview that upon being interrogated at Balaka Police Station, the suspect revealed that he started selling dog meat long time ago when he was in Blantyre.

CourtSaid Sauka: “The suspect revealed that he started selling dog meat long time ago when he was living at Mbayani in Blantyre and said he used to sell it at the tavern during night time. He said he left Blantyre after the death of his friend Samson who he was selling the meat with.”

According to Sauka, Jumbe said he bought the dog at the price of K1000 at Njerenje Trading Centre as if he wanted to tame it and confessed that he used to sell ‘mang’ina’ of dog meat at Shire railway station and said he also eats dog meat.

All the people who ate the meat were referred to Phimbi Health Centre where they were treated as outpatients.

In court, Ishmael confessed to have cooked it and sold the meat.

In his submission before sentence, Police Prosecutor Constable Mame said dog meat is not supposed to be eaten “as per our culture and what the convict did is a taboo to the society.”

In mitigation, Jumbe asked for forgiveness saying he has a wife and three children to look after and that the people who eat the meat had already forgiven him.

But Second Grade Magistrate Victor Sibu argued the convict was supposed to know his responsibility before committing this crime.

He therefore gave him a maximum sentence of 12 months imprisonment with hard labour and said he has given him such a sentence so that it should be a lesson to him and would be offenders.

Jumbe comes from Kangaude village, Traditional Authority Nkaya in Balaka.