Armed robbers get 54-year prison sentences on 14 counts

Two armed robbers have been sentenced to a total of 54 years each in prison in Zimbabwe.

Richard Maingehama and Calisto Banabas Sakume were sentenced to 34 years imprisonment on 11 counts of robbery at the Gweru Magistrate’s Court.

The two accused persons were further sentenced to 24 years imprisonment together with Tafara Tencen Muzanenhamo for three more counts of armed robbery they committed on the 9’th of November 2021.

Below is the case proved against them

On the 9 of November 2021 the complainant ,Eric Bosha was driving his white Honda Fit in the late afternoon along Kwekwe-Gweru highway. He gave a lift to the accused persons from Redcliff turnoff to Zororo tumoff. They paid him US$5 for the service.

When Bosha stopped to drop off the accused persons at Zororo turnoff, one of the accused persons produced a pistol whilst the other held him by the neck and dragged him to the back seat. The trio tied Bosha’s hands and legs with bark strings and mutton cloth before taking his money (ZWL404 140-00) and cellphone. They then locked the complainant in the boot of his vehicle.

That night the accused persons used the complainant’s vehicle to rob Kudzanai Chikwamawo and Fungai Munyau.

Fungai Munyau was robbed along the Kwekwe-Gweru highway close to Kaguvi Training Institute. The accused persons stopped as if to assist him as he had a tyre puncture. They threatened him with the pistol and took his cellphone, laptop and US$1 000.

Kudzanai was robbed at gunpoint by the accused persons who stopped to offer him a lift to town from Ridgemont. As he walked towards the Honda Fit one of the accused persons came out of the vehicle brandishing the firearm and ordered him to take off his clothes, surrender his money and cellphone.

Later that night, Bosha, the owner of the vehicle was taken out of the boot and tied onto a tree in the bush. He managed to untie himself and filed a report with the Police who later recovered the white Honda Fit in Shurugwi.

The other complainants identified the vehicie as the one used in the other crimes.

National Prosecuting Authority