Dealer changes plea

Maliselo (31), who operates at Road Port, and her alleged accomplice Mar­chael Hovhiyo Nyakwima (26) hired lawyers Mr Ringisai Mapondera and Mr Kuziwa Nyamwanza to repre­sent them. The lawyers yesterday applied for a change of plea to that of not guilty arguing that their clients were disput­ing the money involved.
The application was granted and they will face trial on May 31. Prose­cutor Mr Michael Reza told the court that on May 2 this year, around 8pm Maliselo informed her co-accused persons that Richard Muza had US$10 000 cash.
Acting in connivance, the gang used an unregistered BMW sedan and trailed Muza from town to Kuwadzana where he lives.
Muza disembarked from a kombi and suddenly the gang pounced on him and forced him into their getaway car. They introduced themselves as police officers and advised Muza that he was under arrest for illegally deal­ing in drugs and that they were taking him to Southerton Police Station.
The court heard that Muza imme­diately sensed danger and took US$10 000 from his pocket, which he threw outside. The accused persons stopped their vehicle and picked the money before taking turns to assault him.
They punched and kicked him. As they reached Warren Park D, one of the gang member pushed Muza out of the moving vehicle and he fell to the ground. He sustained serious injuries.
On May 10 around 9pm, Maliselo again informed her accomplices that Tariro Rukure of Cold Comfort had lots of cash.
Using the same method, the accused persons followed him from town to his house using an unregis­tered Toyota Corolla.
They grabbed him when he had alighted from the kombi and bundled him into their vehicle where they handcuffed him on the pretext they were taking him to the police station.
On their way, they searched him and took R50 000, US$1 000 and two mobile phones valued at US$200.
They shared the loot among them­selves.
Rukure was later dumped in Glen View 8 and police investigations led to the arrest of Maliselo and Nyakwima.