Mom cries in court

2008-09-04 21:17

Thobile Mlangeni

Nelspruit - A mother burst into tears when she was sentenced to 18 months in jail and realised she would be unable to care for her six-year-old son.

Domestic worker Evelinah Sithole, 23, was jailed for stealing jewellery, cash and a table cloth from her former employer in Malalane, Mpumalanga.

"No, I can't stay in jail for so long. My son is very young. He needs me," said Sithole.

The court said it wouldn't help giving her the option of a fine, however, as she is unemployed and admitted there was no one who would be able to pay a fine for her.

Family heirlooms

Her former employer, Elizabeth Blanken, had asked Sithole to look after the house while she was in Johannesburg, where her husband was in hospital.

When Blanken returned home on September 4 last year, she found that her jewellery, which included family heirlooms, and some cash was missing from the safe.

She told the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court on Wednesday that she went to Sithole's room at her foster parents home and found her jewellery there, as well a table cloth she had bought in India.

The stolen goods amounted to R 60 000.

Blanken opened a case of theft and Sithole was arrested on September 25 last year.

She pleaded not guilty to theft and claimed a dead aunt had given her the jewellery.

The court didn't believe her, however, and found her guilty. – African Eye News Service

- African Eye