Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku [email protected]
THREE witnesses gave conflicting testimonies in court in the trial of four armed robbers who allegedly pounced on Old Nic Mine and escaped with nearly US$800 000.
Andile Mlilo, Thobekani Dlodlo, Content Mguni, and Langathani Mlalazi appeared on Wednesday for the continuation of their trial before senior Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Mark Dzira, facing three counts of armed robbery.
Mlilo, Dlodlo, and Mlalazi are being represented by Mr Goodluck Katenaire of Katenaire-Mbeure Law Chambers, while Mguni is legally represented by Mr Tinashe Dzipe of Morris-Davies Law Firm. All four accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
State witness Simon Gumbo told the court that he was approached by two accused persons who were wearing overalls and cloth masks.
“They were wearing face masks and I did not identify them. One of the accused pointed a gun at my face and told me to comply, as they said they wanted to work.
“They escorted me to a Honda Fit and instructed me to lie underneath it,” said Mr Gumbo.
During cross-examination, Mr Dzipe quizzed him on how he managed to identify them while he was under the car. Gumbo responded that they were wearing work suits, but Mr Dzipe dismissed this.
“You were gripped with fear and lying under the car. What you are saying defies logic because you were facing down,” he said.
In her testimony, Kimberly Amy Fisher, an administrator at the mine, stated that one of the accused persons was wearing a cloth mask while the other was wearing a surgical mask.
Mr Dzipe argued that there was no corroboration between her testimony and Gumbo’s testimony.
“Which statement should the court believe? You said one of the accused had red, shot eyes. Do you see anyone with such eyes?”
Kimberly responded that there was no one with red eyes.
Chief security officer Kyle Bennett told the court that the four accused persons were wearing blue overalls and that he could not identify them.
“When I reviewed the CCTV I did not recognise them. I only saw their backs and they were all wearing blue overalls,” said Mr Bennett.
The matter was postponed to 17 August.
Prosecuting, Mr Jethro Mada told the court that on 23 June 2025, the accused persons connived to rob the gold mining enterprise.
“Mlilo and Dlodlo were employed at Old Nic Mine and caught wind of information that there was a massive cash delivery,” said Mr Mada. “Armed with this insider intelligence, they leaked the information to their accomplices. At around 12:50pm, Mguni, Mlalazi, and two other suspects who are still at large descended on the mine armed with unidentified firearms and plastic cable ties.”
The court heard that the gang first neutralised the security infrastructure at the car park.
“They found the security guard, Simon Gumbo, on duty. They threatened to shoot him, bound him with plastic cable ties, and robbed him of his service firearm and a communication radio. They then shoved him under a parked vehicle, leaving one accomplice on guard while the others advanced to the main offices where they stole an initial US$1 550,” the prosecutor stated.
The operation then escalated as the gunmen breached the primary administrative offices.
“They headed to the administration block and confronted the administration accountant, Kimberly Amy Fisher, who was in the company of her workmate, Kimberly Judith Muvidziwa. They pointed firearms at the two women and forced Fisher to open the financial safe, where they plundered US$769,016.65 in cash. They further ransacked the office and stole an additional US$20,000.00 housed inside a safe drawer,” said Mr Mada.
Before fleeing the scene, the gang also robbed Muvidziwa of her Redmi 13C mobile phone valued at US$130. Detectives later tracked down the suspects, leading to their arrest and the recovery of the mobile phone alongside a small portion of the buried cash.
Meanwhile, Mguni, who was previously legally represented by Mr Simbarashe Innocent Madzivire of Mashayamombe Law Chambers, was involved in a separate armed robbery case where he, his partner, and two others were acquitted after the State failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, citing a flawed identification parade and contradictory witness testimony.
Western Commonage magistrate Mr Pasipanodya Maturure said the identification parade, which formed part of the State’s evidence in that previous matter, had not been conducted in accordance with established procedures.
“It came to light in court that the investigating officer participated in carrying out the identification parade, and that was procedurally wrong because he was an interested party. An identification parade is supposed to be conducted by an independent police officer,” he said.
The magistrate also found significant inconsistencies in the evidence given by prosecution witnesses, casting doubt on the reliability of their identification of the accused.
