By Patience Gondo
A Beitbridge prosecutor has asked the Magistrate’s court to remand a woman accused of possesion of prohibited drugs in custody citing her poverty as an incentive to make her a repeat offender.
Ronald Mugwagwa, the prosecutor, said Elisa Ngulube (29) was likely to commit a similar offence driven by her impoverished circumstances.
She faces charges of contravening Section 38(1)(a) as read with Section 38(3) of the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act, Chapter 15:03, relating to the unlawful possession of prescription preparations.
Its is the State case that on February 21 2026 at Dulivhadzimu Stadium in Beitbridge, Ngulube was found in unlawful possession 28 bottles of 100ml Astra pain cough syrup.
The medicines were not registered and were found without a valid prescription.
The recovered drugs have an estimated street value of US$140.
She was arrested by detectives on patrol who searched her black plastic bag and recovered the medicines.
“Your Worship the accused is poor, she has no job, she has no savings and she has no assets of value. If granted bail she will commit further offences,” said Mugwagwa.
But defence counsel Jabulani Mzinyathi of Garikayi and Company Legal Practitioners strongly challenged the State’s position.
“That describes about ninety percent of our people. Let us lock them up now in preventive detention,” Mzinyathi said.
He told the court that the Constitution places the burden on the State to provide compelling reasons to deny bail.
Mzinyathi said Ngulube has no previous convictions or pending cases, has a fixed place of residence and did not attempt to flee.
Mzinyathi further said Ngulube is self employed and trades goods from Musina South Africa earning about R500 profit per month.
She is a single mother of a two year old child.
The defence proposed that she resides at her given address and report to CID MFFU Beitbridge once every Friday as part of her bail conditions.
Ngulube denies possessing the medicines, claiming the box originated from a food outlet where she had gone to meet an acquaintance.
Magistrate Gillian Padzakashamba reserved ruling on the bail application to February 25 2026.