Firearm recovered at ex-cop’s house linked to murder

Fidelis Munyoro

Chief Court Reporter

THE firearm linked to the murder of a man who was shot dead during a robbery in Southview Park, Harare, and a Concession robbery, was found at ex-policeman Tapiwa Mangoma’s house in Beitbridge during a raid, the High Court heard yesterday.

 Mangoma landed in the dock for allegedly accommodating and supplying Musa Taj Abdul’s terror gang with ammunition to commit crimes.

The gang had been on the run for over 20 years before their arrest following a fierce shoot-out with police at Mangoma’s residence in Dulivhadzimu, Beitbridge, in August 2020.

 Mangoma and Taj Abdul are facing murder charges along with Elisha Manhanga, Liberty Mupamhanga, Prince Makodza, Godfrey Mupamhanga, Charles Lundu, Rudolf Kanhanga, and Innocent Jairos.

They are being accused of killing Courage Ingwani during a robbery at his Southview Park home in October 2019.

Beitbridge police detective Joseph Chari from the Criminal Investigations Department Drugs and Narcotics section told the court that he knew Mangoma as a police officer whom he worked with.

He said on August 24, 2020, he got information that the notorious robbers, who were on the police wanted list, had been spotted in the area driving a silver BMW registration number AEW 0428.

 He and other members of a police crack-team went to Mashavire Business Centre where the gang had been spotted. They could not locate them, prompting a manhunt. They later spotted their vehicle parked at Mashakada Business Centre.

From a distance, the crack-team observed one of the suspects approaching the vehicle and driving around.

 “We trailed the vehicle from a distance,” he said. 

“The accused drove to number 1184 Dulivhadzimu where he parked the vehicle and entered inside.”

 One of the accused, Carrington Marasha, noted the police presence and blew a whistle, resulting in the gang bolting out of the house and fleeing in different directions.

“We fired warning shots into the air and with the help of the police dogs we managed to arrest seven of the suspects,” said Det Chari.

 On being interviewed, the suspects indicated that the house belonged to Mangoma. 

Det Chari said he went inside and found Mangoma holding a black satchel.

 He said when he sought to search the satchel, Mangoma indicated to him that it was his dirty underwear.

Det Chari searched the satchel and recovered a pistol with obliterated serial numbers with a magazine of 11 live rounds, 19×12 bore gauge live rounds in a bullet belt. 

He then arrested Mangoma and went on to search the BMW and recovered a black mask.

Det Chari said according to a forensic report, the firearm was linked to the Southview Park murder and other robbery cases.

Under cross-examination by Manhanga’s lawyer Mr Kombo Manenji, the witness sought to place Manhanga on the crime scene saying he was one of the suspects that escaped arrest.

 Mr Manenji suggested to the witness that his client could not have been at the scene and was never found in possession of the firearm because he was on bail and was reporting at Hillside Police Station and that he was never implicated in the firearms case.

Full story on www.herald.co.zw

“From my investigations, he was there and escaped arrest,” said Det Chari. 

Mr Manenji also took him to task for not recording the details of the items recovered from the crime scene.

He said it was impractical given the circumstances at the time and left that work to other police officers.

 Ms Merleen Nyenya, who is representing Makodza, accused the witness of lying to the court after he disowned the signature to his sworn statement.

She queried why the police would forge his signature. 

“This is a statement you signed and you now want to disown it in this court because it is flawed,” she said. 

Det Chari, in his response, disagreed with the lawyer.

 Ms Nyenya also grilled the witness over his testimony, which she said was inconsistent with what he gave in the magistrates court during the trial on a charge of possession of the firearms.

 She also sought an explanation on why Manhanga was not charged with possession of the firearm if he was part of the gang that was arrested in Beitbridge.

Det Chari insisted that Manhanga was at Mangoma’s house for a common purpose.

 Under cross-examination by Rudolf Kanhanga’s lawyer Mr Lucky Mawuwa, Det Chari said when Mangoma was asked the source of the firearm, he indicated that the weapon was brought by Taj Abdul.

The witness also denied that the meeting at Mangoma’s house was a business meeting for importation of vehicles and clearing, a service which was being offered by Mangoma.

“It was not a business meeting. They were scheming a robbery because they took us to the intended target in the area.”

 Mr Obert Mawadze, who is representing Jairos, said his client went to Beitbridge after he was hired for purposes of importing vehicles.

But in response, Det Chari said the suspects were going to buy vehicles after accomplishing their mission.

The gang was earlier this year tried and convicted on a charge of illegal possession of the firearm, being the same weapon that was used to shoot Mr Ingwani. 

But Manhanga was not charged with the offence.

 The nine men were arrested separately in Beitbridge and were found in possession of a Vector pistol, which, through ballistics, was matched to the cartridges found at Mr Ingwani’s house and at the scene of the Concession robbery.

They are all denying the charge of murder claiming they were elsewhere when the crime took place.

 While the witnesses cannot positively identify the masked gang members that raided Mr Ingwani’s house and killed him, the prosecution is building its case on linking the gang to the weapon used and other evidence.

But the defence team sought to cast doubt that the man killed during the robbery was shot by robbers, suggesting that the late Mr Ingwani could have accidentally shot himself given the nature of the injury he sustained, coupled with the angle on which he was holding his firearm at the time he shot at the intruders.

The defence also sought to link State witness, Mr Simon Mutaringe, who was providing security services at the raided house, to the offence by suggesting he was working with the robbery gang that attacked Mr Ingwani’s house.

The trial continues today before Justice Munamato Mutevedzi, sitting with assessors Mr Remigius Jemwa and Mr Bothwel Kunaka.