VICE President John Nkomo allegedly pays his farm hands a paltry US$50 per month, two ex-employees jailed for stealing from him have claimed.

Qhawe Sibanda, 32, and Nhlanhla Siziba, 31, were jailed for nine years when they appeared before a Bulawayo magistrate accused of stock theft after admitting to stealing two beasts valued at US$1000 from Nkomo’s CSC Winterblock Farm in Insuza.

The pair pleaded guilty to the charges but claimed they were forced to steal because they could live off the US$50 they claimed Nkomo paid them.

But the court dismissed this did not qualify as extenuating circumstances and sentenced them to nine years in prison.

The court heard that sometime in November 2009, Sibanda and Siziba overheard Pretty Tshabangu say she wanted to exchange her ox for heifers and that she also had money to buy another heifer.

Sibanda and Siziba then connived to steal one heifer and a steer from VP Nkomo’s farm so they could sell them to Tshabangu.

They took the beasts to one Elister Sibanda’s homestead after failing to locate Tshabangu but returned after two weeks when they collected a R2 000 for the heifer.

The two were then arrested and the beasts were recovered.

However, Tshabangu who the state claims was in on the deal with the pair pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody to 12 April.