Online Reporter
IN yesterday’s issue of H-Metro, we reported that Harare businessman Paul Zhou hired a Toyota Fortuner and a lodge for slain armed robber Godknows Machingura and his gang to help them rob another businessman Paul Chimbodza.
Zhou, who was also kept abreast of the operation through text messages he received from Machingura, will now spend eight years in jail for his role in conspiring to rob Chimbodza.
He was facing two counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and was convicted on both by Harare regional magistrate Taurai Manuwere.
He sentenced him to six years in prison on each count.
Magistrate Manuwere, however, suspended four years on condition that he doesn’t commit a similar offence in the next five years.
Eight years are effective.
Zhou, 55 was being charged together with some South African nationals – Ndiafhi Makhado 39, Andrew Masubelele 38, and Emmanuel Makamo 22.
Magistrate Manuwere cleared the South Africans of any wrongdoing
He said the evidence produced showed that Zhou conspired with slain armed robber Machingura to try and rob Chimbodza.
He said Zhou played a significant role, together with slain armed robber Godknows Machingura, and the State has managed to prove that Machingura wanted to rob the complainant.
He said Zhou booked a lodge for Machingura on November 6, 2022, and on November 22, he hired a gold Fortuner for Godknows Machingura.
The magistrate said this was the car which Chimbodza saw as he was exercising in the morning, which was then chased by detectives.
He said the same car was driven once again around the complainant’s residence and on December 1 Machingura sent Zhou a WhatsApp message about the complainant’s vehicle, a Toyota GD6, which was at his mine in Shamva.
All this shows Machingura wanted to rob the complainant and Zhou played active participation
We welcome the findings of the court and that Zhou will spend the next eight years in jail.
This is another demonstration of the power of our police force and judiciary system in confronting, and defeating, armed robbers, who have been terrorising our country, and also destroying their network.
It’s clear that there is a huge underworld network, which is conniving with the armed robbers, and this network even has some businessmen, who send an impression that they are running legitimate businesses, when they are part of these criminal enterprises.
Zhou is not the only one.
There are many like him in our society and we challenge the authorities to go after them.
They should feel the full wrath of the law.
They are as guilty as the armed robbers who execute the robberies.
They create the right conditions for these armed robbers to strike and steal from businesses and even from individuals.
We are happy that our authorities are making significant breakthroughs when it comes to arresting these people, many of whom are now in our prisons.
Our call to the authorities is that they should not rest but they should even double their efforts in this fight.
