Two suspects appeared at the Gokwe Magistrates’ Court yesterday facing robbery and assault charges after they severely attacked a driver of a Chitekete-bound commuter omnibus and robbed him of his vehicle, cash and other valuables.
Report by Richard Muponde Senior Reporter
The suspects – Cleopas Dube (27) and Prosper Khumalo (20), both of Sidojiwe Village under Chief Njelele, Gokwe – were not asked to plead to the charges when they appeared before Gokwe provincial magistrate Shepherd Mjanja.
The court remanded them in custody to November 13 for trial.
State allegations are that on October 25 at around 9pm, the complainant, Peter Maramwidze, was driving a commuter omnibus along the Gokwe-Chitekete route and stopped at the 1,5km peg after two passengers indicated that they had reached their destination. But before the pair could disembark, Dube and Khumalo emerged from the darkness, armed with a kitchen knife and a home-made mattock.
They attacked Maramwindze before robbing him of the vehicle, $350 and a cellphone. The suspects drove along the same road and dumped the vehicle after it ran out of fuel 60km from the scene.
Police investigations led to Dube and Khumalo’s arrest last Friday.
