Armed robbers jailed

Wednesday, 16 March 2011 23:21

Beitbridge Bureau Chief Three Beitbridge armed robbers were yesterday jailed eight years effective each for robbing at gunpoint a suspected smuggler of cigarettes worth R14 700. The complainant and his friends intended to smuggle cigarettes into South Africa through an undesignated point along Limpopo River. Vincent Zinhanga (30), Shadreck Manomwe (25) and Lucky Ndlovu (26) all of Dulibadzimu suburb had denied the charges. However, Beitbridge resident magistrate Mr Owen Tagu convicted the three because of overwhelming evidence. They were sentenced to 12 years in jail each but the court set aside four years for each on condition that they do not commit a similar crime within a period of five years. Prosecutor Mr Johannes Tlou proved beyond reasonable doubt that on September 12 last year at around 6am, the three and Canias Dube who is still at large followed the complainant to Panda Mine. The complainant, along with his friends, intended to smuggle Remmington Gold cigarettes through the Limpopo River into South Africa. The trio then spotted the complainant and his friends carrying the cigarettes walking towards the river. They pounced on them and ordered them to stop and surrender the cigarettes at gunpoint but the victims resisted prompting one of the robbers to fire three shots from a Star pistol in the air. The group dispersed and left the boxes of cigarettes behind. Manomwe and Ndlovu gave chase and assaulted their victims before threatening to stab them with okapi knives. They robbed them of the contraband and two cellphones all worth R14 700 and disappeared. The gang took the loot to Zinhanga's house in Dulibadzimu suburb. A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of the three. The arrest also led to the recovery of the cigarettes and one cellphone worth R14 500. www.herald.co.zw