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Ashton Siziba (26) and Phinias Shumba (25) have been sentenced to 84 years each by the Chiredzi regional court for robbing over 40 passengers on a Beitbridge-bound bus in July.
Regional magistrate Ms. Judith Zuyu delivered the sentence after overwhelming evidence found the men guilty of stealing more than US$8,600 and R62,000.
The robbery occurred on July 18, when Siziba and Shumba, posing as passengers, teamed up with two accomplices. One accomplice, Sauro Dadirayi (23), is already serving time after a separate trial; the other remains at large.
According to regional prosecutor Ms. Tanyaradzwa Tinago, the gang boarded the bus in Harare on July 17. At around 2:30 AM, near Rutenga along the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway, Siziba signaled the driver to stop, then brandished a pistol and forced the conductor inside.
Shumba and the others displayed okapi knives, ordered the driver into the bush, and demanded cash from 31 passengers. After the robbery, they ordered male passengers to lie down and forced the females out before fleeing in an unidentified vehicle.
The court’s decision underscores the seriousness of the crime and aims to deter similar offences. (Herald)
derick.khumalo