Johnson Progress

Prominent Zimdancehall musician Romeo Anthony, widely known by his stage name Shinsoman, has been convicted and fined for smoking cannabis.

The artist and four other men admitted to the offence at the Mbare Magistrates’ Court this week.

The 37-year-old artist appeared alongside Themba Sibanda (26), Tendai Shumba (43), Kennedy Simbanegavi (37), and Cosmas Muzanzi (41).

All five defendants pleaded guilty to contravening Section 157(1)(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, which explicitly prohibits the possession of dangerous drugs.

Following their plea, Magistrate Ranga Jere imposed a uniform penalty on each accused.

The court mandated a fine of US$200 for every individual involved in the case.

Magistrate Jere issued a stern warning regarding the consequences of non-payment, outlining a clear alternative custodial sentence.

He emphasized that failure to settle the fine would lead to immediate imprisonment.

The magistrate explained the full terms of the sentence, which included a suspended jail term.

He stated that a four-month jail sentence would be enforced if the fine was not paid, with three of those months suspended for a period of five years.

The suspension is conditional on the defendants not committing a similar offence during that timeframe.

The magistrate made it clear that the custodial sentence was a guaranteed alternative, not an empty threat.

“If the fine is not paid, the custodial sentence will be enforced,” the court heard.

According to the prosecution’s case, the incident occurred on January 5, 2026, at a residential property in the Highfields suburb.

The court was told that officers from the CID Drugs and Narcotics unit discovered the group in the act.

The law enforcement agents were in the area conducting follow-up investigations on an unrelated matter when they made the discovery.

The state prosecutor detailed the specific circumstances of the arrest, describing the scene encountered by detectives.

He told the court that the CID detectives allegedly found the five men smoking cannabis while gathered near a parked Mercedes-Benz vehicle.

This location and act formed the basis of the state’s evidence, to which all accused parties subsequently admitted guilt.

The conviction of a well-known public figure like Shinsoman has brought significant public attention to the case, highlighting the ongoing enforcement of Zimbabwe’s drug laws.

The musician and his co-accused are now required to pay their fines to avoid serving the activated jail term.