Armed robbers jailed 20 years each

Mashudu Mambo

TWO armed robbers who raided a timber company in Bulawayo in a dramatic fashion after tying the security guard with the Zimbabwe national flag before getting away with property worth over US$1 000 have each been slapped with an effective 20-year jail term.

Lookout Dube (42) from Cowdray Park and Thabisani Ndlovu (44) from Lobengula West appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Joseph Mabeza facing two counts of armed robbery. 

They pleaded not guilty to the charges but were convicted after a full trial.

Two of their alleged accomplices Meluleki Thebe (35) from Mzilikazi and Ranganai Betserai (47) from Mbundane were acquitted as the State failed to get evidence linking them to the commission of the crime.

While presiding over the case the magistrate said cases of armed robbery had increased and hence it was the duty of the court to send a clear message to the like-minded.

“It is the duty of the courts to ensure the safety of the public and send a clear message to the public as cases of armed robbery are now rife in the city. 

“A custodial sentence will ensure that the public is protected and warn the like-minded,” charged Mabeza.

The court heard that on 6 March 2023 and at around 2am the gang raided Allied Timbers and disarmed a security guard, James Munjunga and ordered him to lie down.

They then tied him with Zimbabwe’s national flag and threatened him with knives, axes, a broken beer bottle and a weapon suspected to be a pistol.

The gang then went to the manager’s office and forcefully opened the door using a crow bar and stole a laptop, a Samsung tablet, seven kilogrammes of meat, spanners, and three tyres.

They also made several attempts to open the safe but they failed before they left the scene.

The value of the stolen property is US$1 320 and property valued at US$500 was recovered.

It is reported that on an unknown date but sometime in March, the gang broke into Gain Cash and Carry Wholesalers where they met a security guard, Khumbulani Sibanda and manhandled him before they pushed him back to the guard room where they handcuffed him and forced him to lie down.

They then took Sibanda’s cellphone, his shoes and groceries which were in the guard room.

After that the gang then proceeded to the trucks that were parked outside where they allegedly stole eight heavy duty truck batteries before they went to the warehouse where they forced open the back door and stole four boxes of cooking oil and went away.

The value of the stolen property was US$3 900 and property valued at US$2 250 was recovered.

The matter was reported to the police and investigations led to the arrest of the accused persons.