Mbabane – A 52-year-old woman who confessed to a decade of shoplifting has been sentenced to pay a E4,000 fine or serve two years in prison after a viral social media video cut short her theft operations.
Bonsile Happiness Shiba, of Matsamo, appeared before Senior Magistrate Sfiso Vilakati at the Mbabane Magistrate Court today. She faced a charge of theft after stealing a handbag containing items worth E4,950 from Phumelelo Tryphina Tembe at the Mbabane Pick n Pay on March 20, 2026.
The court was stunned when Shiba openly confessed to a 10-year history of shoplifting, explaining that she targeted the complainant that day because she assumed the elderly woman was carrying cash. “I thought that there was money in the bag judging from the elderly’s dress code,” Shiba told the court, clarifying that it was a specific choice for that incident rather than her usual pattern.
The Crown paraded the complainant as a witness, who narrated how she was shopping for groceries and vegetables when she stepped away to grab a newspaper, leaving her handbag in the trolley. When she turned back, the bag was gone. Store security replayed CCTV footage which clearly captured Shiba taking the bag, but an immediate search at the local bus rank yielded no results.
Following the advice of the police, the victim’s son uploaded the CCTV footage onto social media platforms. Within 10 minutes of the video going live, over 20 community members reacted, identifying Shiba as a well-known habitual thief in the area.
During the trial, the court heard that after snatching the bag, Shiba fled to the bus rank and boarded a bus heading to Manzini. Upon searching the bag during the trip, she discovered it contained a navy blue cellphone, a car key, cosmetics, bank cards, a national identity document, and a gate remote. Finding no cash, she abandoned the bag inside the bus.
In her mitigation, Shiba apologized to the court and pleaded for leniency, stating that she needed money to support her dependent children. When advised of her right to enter a formal defense, she elected to remain silent.
Senior Magistrate Vilakati found Shiba guilty and handed down the two-year prison sentence, with the option of a E4,000 fine. The court further ordered Shiba to fully compensate the victim with E4,000 for the unrecovered items before she is allowed to pay the court fine. Shiba was advised of her right to appeal both the conviction and the sentence within 14 days, and the court records will be transferred to the High Court for automated review.
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