THREE directors of a local company, Ticoz Protection Services, yesterday appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, after a tobacco firm — Savanna Tobacco Holdings — lost consignments worth over R5 million to robbers in South Africa.
REPORT BY CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER
The three Hosea Manzunzu (46), Tarwireyi Tirivavi (48) and Tinashe Cosygene Dekeya (35) were not asked to plead when they appeared before Anita Tshuma, who remanded them in custody to today, after their lawyers argued against their placement on remand.
According to the State, the three directors allegedly acted in connivance with one Edmore Muronzereyi — at large — after tasking him to collect details of vehicles leaving and entering Savanna Holdings. The information was later conveyed to robbers who waylaid the trucks in South Africa between August and September this year. The State alleges the three were at one point employees of a local firm, Forest Security, a company once contracted by a South African firm, Forensic Security to carryout surveillances on all the country’s tobacco manufacturing firms.
It is alleged the three men later resigned and formed Ticoz Protection Services, which was then contracted by Forensic Security in April this year to carry out surveillance on all the country’s tobacco manufacturing firms.
It is further alleged that another South African firm, Tobacco Institute of South Africa contracted Forensic Security to monitor and suppress the suppliers of locally-manufactured cigarettes in the Sadc region and thus promoting the products of British American Tobacco (BAT) in the region.
According to the State, the operations were that Ticoz would offer information on consignments from local firms being exported to the region and send it to Forensic Security in South Africa, where robberies would be executed. Sometime in May and August this year, Savanna Holdings trucks were reportedly robbed of cigarettes worth R5 763 988 while in South Africa.
However, the syndicate was busted on September 26 by a Savanna security officer Farai Mugari, who arrested Muronzereyi after he was seen recording registration numbers of trucks leaving and coming into their premises.
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Upon being interviewed, Muronzereyi indicated he was employed by Ticoz and had been instructed to record details of trucks by his employer.
Lawyers representing the three, Charles Chinyama and Listen Zinyengere, opposed their client’s placement on remand arguing the court had no jurisdiction to preside over matters allegedly committed in South Africa.
They also argued their clients were not anywhere near the alleged places of the crimes and had no knowledge of the robberies.
