Sunday, October 27, 2024 – A 24-year-old woman from
Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb, Zimbabwe, Bridget Chiedza, has been sentenced
to 12 months in prison after admitting to stealing money from Bethel Church.
Chiedza, a church member, confessed to taking US$118 and
R431 from the church’s coffers, citing financial hardship and her mother’s
illness as the reasons for her actions.
According to reports from B-Metro, the incident occurred on
August 4, 2024, when Chiedza was entrusted with the funds by church secretary
Prisca Moyo, following the pastor’s instructions. However, when the church
later requested the money back for accountability, Chiedza became unreachable
and even blocked church members who attempted to contact her. The church
reported the matter to the police, which led to her arrest.
In court, Chiedza tearfully pleaded for leniency, explaining
that her mother’s illness had driven her to make a desperate choice. “My
mother was sick in the rural areas, and I needed money for her treatment,”
she told Western Commonage magistrate Learnear Khumalo. Chiedza expressed
remorse and offered to repay the stolen funds.
The court took her circumstances into account and imposed a
conditional sentence. While she received a 12-month prison term, three months
were suspended on the condition of staying crime-free for five years. An
additional six months were suspended if she completes 210 hours of community
service at Cowdray Park Health Services, and the remaining three months were
suspended on the condition that she repays the money by November 15, 2024.
