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8 robbers pounce on ex-minister Made

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THE eight suspected robbers who pounced on former Agriculture minister Joseph Made’s farm before stealing an assortment of goods worth thousands of dollars appeared before Marondera magistrate Patience Chirimo yesterday facing unlawful entry, theft and possession of dangerous drugs charges.

BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

THE eight suspected robbers who pounced on former Agriculture minister Joseph Made’s farm before stealing an assortment of goods worth thousands of dollars appeared before Marondera magistrate Patience Chirimo yesterday facing unlawful entry, theft and possession of dangerous drugs charges.

Fungai Jiri (34), Tafadzwa Masimo (33), Talent Mugandani (25), Genesis Matiza (30), Sylvester Masimo (20) Takudzwa Mukamba (19), Prudence Bata (21) and Tadia Shanganya (17) were remanded in custody to May 7 for trial.

Allegations are that on April 22, police detectives in Marondera were tipped that the suspected broke into a house and stole various goods in Macheke, a neighbouring small town.

The police detectives then went to a house in Mutamba, Macheke, where the accused persons were staying.

The detectives apprehended Jiri, Tafadzwa, Mugandani and Matiza leading to the discovery of various properties, including mattresses, gas tanks, fridges and microwaves, among other things.

Upon being quizzed, the accused persons implicated four others who were later arrested in Wedza.

The court heard that on April 15, Sylvester Masimo and Mukamba, who were employed at Made’s Tara Farm, and their accomplices used a claw bar to force open a locked door to the former minister’s house.

The accused went on to steal a six-plate gas and electric industrial stove, seven mattresses, a deep freezer, a microwave oven, 2×14-inch television sets, a 7kg gas tank, a 3kg gas tank, a Capri fridge, a 5,5 horsepower generator, a one-plate gas burner, various clothes, aluminium pipes, cutlery, a Motorola base station radio and five garden chairs.

On March 16 at Bronsburry Farm in Marondera, the accused allegedly cut the fence, got into the yard and stole one unregistered black and red Honda motorbike. On March 30, the accused persons went to Matepe Farm, where they cut a perimeter fence, got into the yard and stole two unregistered Honda motorbikes, two mountain bicycles, helmets, three pairs of goggles and a car battery.

The value of the stolen property was around $800 000.

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