BY SIMBARASHE SITHOLE/KENNETH NYANGANI
SIX armed robbers, who pounced on a Bindura family and robbed them of their valuables, were yesterday sentenced to seven years in prison by Bindura magistrate Noel Mupeiwa.
Jerry Mhere (27), Lazarus Mathebula (31), Gainmore Muchenje (30), John Murengwa (31), Henry Sekai (27) and Lloyd Mafigu (31) were sentenced after full trial.
The magistrate suspended two years conditionally.
Prosecutor Gossy Mudambu told the court that on November 6, the convicts, who were using a Toyota Wish vehicle registration number AEW0755, stormed house number 1288 Chiwaridzo, Bindura, during the night armed with pistols and machetes.
They assaulted five family members before forcing them to lie down.
All the complainants were robbed of their cellphones and money, both local currency and United States dollars, before the robbers sped away.
The victims filed a police report and police trapped the convicts who were arrested the following day near Makumbe Mission Hospital after a shoot-out with the law enforcement agents.
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Meanwhile, an alleged robber who was part of an armed gang was shot dead on Thursday last week as machete wars escalate in Odzi.
Manicaland provincial assistant police spokesperson Luxon Chananda confirmed the incident.
Chananda said motorist Amisi Zvaidi, who was in the company of his friend Peter Majongwe, parked his vehicle at Odzi Two gold mine and slept.
Another motorist, Taurai Gomba, also parked at the entrance of the same mine.
Chananda said the now-deceased, who is unknown, arrived at the said mine at around 1am with his accomplices.
They approached Gomba’s vehicle, broke a window and hacked him with machetes.
Gomba was forced to hand over a wallet with an undisclosed amount of money to the robbers.
The robbers proceeded to Zvaidi’s vehicle and attacked him and his colleague.
Zvaidhi was also forced to surrender his wallet.
However, Zvaidhi pulled out a gun and shot the now-deceased three times in the chest and he died on spot.
Zvaidhi has since been arrested and he is currently admitted at Mutare Provincial Hospital.
Police are yet to identify the deceased.
