Five in court for armed robbery -Newsday Zimbabwe

When they entered the house, the five, who were in the company of others who are still at large, broke the kitchen window and the burglar used an ax to gain entry.

FIVE people appeared before a Harare magistrate last week charged with three separate counts of armed robbery.

Talkmore Masanga (45), Tafadzwa Kupeta (27), Rashid Adam Chipanga (30), Stephen Mahachi (51) and Wonder Matope (42) allegedly used firearms and axes to intimidate victims before transferring cash, electronic goods and other valuables would steal things.

Prosecutor Anesu Chirenje told Harare Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa that in the first arraignment, the complainant, Elemencia Mbito (50) of Manyame Park, in St Mary’s, Chitungwiza, came home with her Honda Fit motor vehicle.

When they entered the house, the five, who were in the company of others who are still at large, broke the kitchen window and the burglary bar with an ax to gain entry.

They allegedly pointed firearms at Mbito and ordered her to lie on the ground.

They robbed her of $1,500.

They allegedly ransacked the house, robbed her of cell phones and car keys and later dumped the cell phones under the motor vehicle.

They took a power bank and a Samsung mobile phone.

On the second count, Memory Mudzongachiso (43) of Hopley Zone 6, Harare, was sleeping in her bedroom and was woken by a loud bang on her dining room window.

When she woke up to investigate, she was confronted by the suspects armed with two firearms and an axe.

They pointed the guns at her and ordered her to lie on the ground, then tied her hands and legs with shoelaces.

They robbed her of $8,400 cash.

The suspects allegedly fired three shots into the air to scare people off before leaving.

It is further alleged that the suspects also attacked Tendero Nyamundaya from Hopley Zone 6 who was sleeping in her bedroom with her husband Linance Shambare.

The two woke up to a loud noise on her bedroom window.

The defendants pointed firearms at the couple while demanding cash before seriously assaulting the complainant’s husband with an ax and robbing them of $600.

They allegedly ransacked the house and stole a power bank.

The robbers fired three shots into the air to scare off people who had gathered outside the complainant’s yard before escaping.

Chirenje told the court that on October 21, detectives from CID Homicide Harare picked up information that the suspects were involved in robberies in and around Harare and Chitungwiza.

The court heard that on October 22 this year, detectives arrested the suspects on charges of theft, leading to the recovery of a Walther P38 pistol with an erased serial number, charged with an empty magazine.

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