HARARE, June 11 (NewsDay Live) — The High Court has ordered the civil forfeiture of eight motor vehicles linked to a suspected eight-man robbery gang terrorising Harare and Ruwa residents.
The ruling, issued by the High Court sitting at Harare, marks a major escalation in the State’s aggressive legal policy of hitting runaway suspects where it hurts the most: their mobile assets.
By targeting the vehicles used by the suspects, authorities effectively choke the logistical support systems that enable fugitives to evade arrest and remain on the run.
The forfeiture order stems from the high-profile legal battle of the Prosecutor-General vs Square Chimweta and Seven Others.
Chimweta, previously linked to a series of violent armed robberies in Harare and Ruwa, is listed alongside seven others who are still at large.
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The suspects identified in the State outline include Square Chimweta, Hilton Mutsopotsi, Daniel Chijoko, Joseph Meki, Leonard Huni, Makudo Muzenda, Stephen Mudzingwa, and Sam Malunga.
The court-ordered seizure covers a diverse fleet of vehicles, ranging from hatchbacks to premium sedans and utility trucks.
To block the fugitives from transferring ownership or hiding the assets behind third-party proxies, the High Court also cited the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) as the ninth respondent in the case.
The court ordered the CVR to register all the eight forfeited vehicles as State assets, effectively preventing the suspects from reclaiming them through backdoor channels.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) welcomed the landmark judgment, noting that it cements a hardline judicial stance against individuals trying to escape justice.
In a statement, the NPAZ highlighted that the ruling directly reinforces the State's constitutional mandate to systematically reclaim ill-gotten property and crime-enabling assets through civil forfeiture proceedings.