The ManicaPost
Chipinge Correspondent
A 36-YEAR-OLD Chipinge woman was on Monday dragged to court for unlawfully selling photocopies of textbooks without authority from writers and producers.Tendai Mazunguniswa of House Number 716, medium-density suburb in Chipinge pleaded guilty to contravening Section 59(1)(a)(iv) of the Copyright and Neighbouring Act, Chapter 26:5 , which reads: “sell or let it for hire or offer or exposes it for sale or hire.’’
Senior magistrate, Mr Noah Gwatidzo presided over the matter.
Asked why she committed the offence of selling photocopied textbooks, Mazunguniswa cited economic hardships as the reason of committing the offence.
“Your Worship, I did it out of ignorance. I bought them for resell already photocopied. I sell different goods to cater for my family’s welfare since my husband left us for South Africa in 2008 without returning,” she said.
On October 30 and along the pavements of Chipinge town, Mazungiswa was caught selling 36 infringed copies of textbooks of both local and international authors.
Detectives who were on USALAMA Operation duties arrested Mazungiswa and recovered the 36 photocopied textbooks.
Thirteen were written by local authors and 23 by international authors. Mazungiswa was arrested after failing to produce a licence that authorise her to sell the books.
The accused will appear in court today (Friday) for sentence.
Mr Regis Mawarire prosecuted.
