Sundaymail Editor
IF ever there were awards for the worst-thought-out crimes, Emmanuel Sibanda’s heist would be a strong contender for the top award.
On March 21, he set out to mastermind what he probably thought was an easy pay day — robbing an airtime vendor at Western Gate in Entumbane Complex, Bulawayo.
But there was one thing he probably did not factor into his plan: basic common sense!
The 23-year-old approached Godfrey Mutsaka and pretended he wanted to exchange US$100 for South African rands.
But when Mutsaka said he could not assist, Sibanda ditched the act and went straight for the vendor’s sling bag, making off with US$200, R2 300 and 42 airtime vouchers.
Realising he might not be fast enough to escape, Sibanda dramatically pulled out a machete from his trousers and threatened to attack Mutsaka if he continued pursuing him.
The vendor, who had now teamed up with a witness, could, however, not be kept at bay.
They gave chase as Sibanda fled towards a nearby bushy area. With the chasers closing in, Sibanda reached for his backup weapon — an Okapi knife — hoping to scare them off.
It was another act of senselessness: If they couldn’t be shooed away by a machete, what more an Okapi.
A struggle ensued and he was quickly overpowered and handed over to the police.
Brought before Western Commonage regional magistrate Mrs Sibongile Marondedze, Sibanda tried to plead his case, claiming he only committed the crime to pay for his wife’s hospital bills.
But the court was not buying this contrived sob tale. With robbery cases on the rise, the magistrate emphasised the need for deterrence, sentencing him to 10 years behind bars.
Three years were suspended on condition he stays out of trouble for the next five years, leaving him with a solid seven-year stint in the big house. For Sibanda, this episode was a hard way of learning that crime does not pay, especially when you are neither swift nor strategic.
His was a textbook case of how not to pull off a robbery, and an easy pick for mampara of the week.
Online Reporter