Tapfuma Moyo appeared before a regional magistrate at Beitbridge on 21 May 2025 after being caught that day at the Beitbridge Border Post with 40.56 kilograms of mbanje.[1] He pleaded guilty to unlawful dealing in a dangerous drug and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with six years suspended.[2][1]
On review, Justices Mutevedzi and Ndlovu of the High Court at Bulawayo confirmed the conviction but set the sentence aside as procedurally flawed and excessively harsh.[1] The court substituted nine years in prison, with three years suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour, and ordered the trial magistrate to recall Moyo to explain the altered sentence.[1]
The judgment holds that cannabis has been separated from all other dangerous drugs into a special category that carries no mandatory minimum, so the maximum 15-year term must be reserved for the worst cases.[2][1] It further holds that courts must consider a fine before imprisonment, especially for first offenders.[2][1]
The 40.56 kg remains forfeited to the State for destruction.[1] The reports quote Justice Mutevedzi as remarking that throwing 40 kg of mbanje down an incinerator “may be uneconomical” given Zimbabwe’s licensing of medicinal and research cannabis since 2018, urging the State to consider other lawful uses for seized cannabis.[2][3]