adminNokusa Masuku Court Reporter
THREE men who were part of a six-man gang that pounced on Trek Petroleum filling station in November and got away with more than $165,000 at gunpoint were yesterday each slapped with effective nine-year jail terms.Lucky Chipeta, 22, Casper Thebe, 55 and Greeta Ngwenya, 44 yesterday changed their initial guilty plea to armed robbery, to not guilty.
They told Bulawayo magistrate Chrispen Mberewere that police beat them up until they admitted to committing the crime.
“I was at home when the incident happened. The police just came and arrested me for a crime I didn’t commit,” said Ngwenya.
Thebe and Chipeta also claimed they were innocent.
However, Mberewere found them guilty due to overwhelming evidence.
He sentenced each of them to 12 years in prison.
Of the 12 years three were suspended for five years on condition that the trio does not commit a similar offence during that period.
“Zimbabwe is generally a peaceful country compared to other countries. We want the situation to continue like that and we won’t tolerate that kind of behaviour in this country. This issue of people going about carrying guns is not allowed in Zimbabwe. We don’t want citizens to imitate what they see in movies and read in novels. Therefore, this court will give you a custodial sentence,” said Mberewere.
The court heard that in November this year the trio hatched a plan to rob the petroleum company. Chipeta who was employed by Trek, provided information to Thebe, his stepfather, about all the movement of cash from Trek garages to the bank for depositing.
While on their way to deposit the money at the bank, Trek driver Philani Musimuko and his assistant Pilate Ndlovu were approached by Ngwenya while the three others who are still at large waited in the getaway car.
Ngwenya then drew a firearm and pointed it at Musimuko demanding money and his accomplice struck the company driver on the head with an iron bar. Musimuko felt dizzy and staggered away from his vehicle and Ngwenya grabbed the satchel containing the money and fled to the getaway vehicle.
While fleeing, Ndlovu who is at large accidentally dropped his cellphone which police used to track down the trio.
The gang stole $161,926 and R59,100.
Only $12,434 and R2,200 has been recovered.
Online Reporter