MUTARE – Two South Africa nationals and two Zimbabweans appeared in court yesterday on charges of illegally possessing diamonds.
CLAYTON MASEKESA OWN CORRESPONDENT
Posthumous Mark (47), Johannes Hendrick Nel (40), who are South Africans, and two Zimbabweans — Tarisai Mangwende (25) and Robson Nemadziwa (28) — appeared before Mutare magistrate Sekai Chiwundura facing charges of possessing five pieces of rough diamonds in contravention of Section 3(1) of the Precious Stones Trade Act.
Mark and Nel were denied bail while Mangwende and Nemadziwa were given $200 bail each and were ordered to surrender their passports and report at the CID section once every Friday.
The four were remanded to January 13.
In the State case led by prosecutor Mathew Chimutunga, it is alleged that on January 3 this year at 0800hrs police patrolling the Hot Springs area were tipped that the four, who were in a Mitsubishi Pajero vehicle registration number CJ34CS GP, were buying diamonds at the shops.
Acting on that information, police manned a roadblock and stopped the vehicle as it was going away.
The four were searched and nothing was recovered. A further search was conducted and five pieces of diamonds were found underneath the driver’s seat.
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Two scales and a testing kit were found in Nel’s satchel.
The four were ordered to produce a licence or permit which authorised them to possess or deal in diamonds.
They failed to produce the requisite documents, leading to their arrest.
