TSHITALE – A fine of R3 000 or a jail sentence of six months was imposed to Elisa Ramasunga (53) of Pfananani Village by the Tshitale Magistrate's Court last Thursday.

She was found guilty of selling liquor without the necessary licence and trying to defeat the ends of justice.

The incident relating to the case took place at Pfananani Village on the morning of January 14 this year at about 11:00. The police received information from concerned members of the community that the accused had been selling liquor without a licence a few days before the incident.

The police proceeded to the accused's home on the day of the incident. The accused saw the police while they were still some distance away from her home. She ordered the people who were drinking beer within her home to vanish.

Ramasunga then locked all her houses and locked herself inside one of the huts. On arrival the police knocked several times on the doors, but the accused turned a deaf ear. The court heard that the police later forced one of the doors open.

They found the accused hiding in one of the huts. She was arrested and charged with selling liquor without the necessary licence and defeating the end of justice. The case was postponed several times before it was finalized last Thursday. The accused was ordered to pay a fine of R3000 or to stay in jail for six months.