Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku, Court writer
THREE Bulawayo women who conspired with a murder and armed robbery suspect to falsify his identity in an attempt to evade arrest have each been fined US$300 or face six months in prison.
Sobala Ngwenya, Sibonginkosi Tshuma, and Hilda Moyo were convicted of contravening the Birth and Death Registration Act (Chapter 5:02), which prohibits falsifying or causing to be falsified any register or entry therein. The conviction was handed down by Bulawayo magistrate Mr Challenge Mahembe.
In passing sentence, the magistrate noted that the trio were first-time offenders who did not waste the court’s time, as they pleaded guilty.
Prosecuting, Mr Joseph Rugara told the court that Justin Mpofu had been deported from South Africa, where he had been hiding for 15 years. Mpofu was on the police wanted list in connection with murder and armed robbery charges.
“Mpofu was wanted by ZRP on allegations that he and his accomplices fatally shot Peter Sithole in 2010. Following the shooting, they stole R28, two speakers, two mobile phones and an amplifier from a bottle store. Mpofu had been hiding in South Africa and was deported earlier this year,” said Mr Rugara.
Upon his return, Mpofu devised a plan to evade arrest. He approached the accused persons to assist in changing his identity to Ryan Ncube, paying them US$300 for the service.
“Moyo informed a Civil Registry official stationed at Nyamandlovu that she had known Mpofu since childhood and that his father, the late Justin Ncube, had died some years ago,” said Mr Rugara.
The trio bribed the Civil Registry official, agreeing to reduce Mpofu’s age during the processing of the new national identity card. The court heard that Ngwenya posed as Mpofu’s mother and claimed that Ncube was her ex-husband.
They also approached a local village head, Tswapi Mpofu of Village 6A Deli, Nyamandlovu, who allegedly confirmed in writing that the suspect was born in his village and was the son of the late Justin Ncube.
Their cover was blown when detectives from CID Homicide arrested Mpofu, who was masquerading as Ryan Ncube and had obtained a forged national identity card under that name. Upon interrogation, Mpofu confessed to fraudulently acquiring the identity card with the help of the trio, leading to their subsequent arrest.
