Online Reporter
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Being stabbed in the back is painful, no debate about that!
However, the pain magnifies exponentially if one turns around and discovers it is a friend who is holding the knife.
This may be a lived experience for Paul Chirongoma of Insiza when his drinking buddy Sibangani Gumbo robbed him of cash and a massive 90 litres of diesel in a daring late-night raid.
Gumbo appeared before Tredgold Magistrate Abednigo Ndebele for theft armed robbery and was remanded in custody to 28 August for judgment.
Prosecutor Joseph Rugara told the court that on 14 November 2024, around midday, Gumbo and his friend Paul Chirongoma were enjoying beer at Mawayilesini Business Centre as they often did.
Later that night, around 10PM, Gumbo allegedly entered Chirongoma’s tent armed with stones and an axe, demanding cash and threatening to kill him if he refused.
Terrified, Chirongoma handed over US$100. Gumbo then allegedly siphoned 90 litres of diesel from Chirongoma’s car, flagged down a vehicle on the Bulawayo-Vic Falls Road, loaded the fuel, and fled.
“I never expected this from someone I considered a friend,” Chirongoma told the court. “We drank and spent a lot of time together. He betrayed me.”
Police investigations revealed that Gumbo made off with the cash and diesel worth US$226, none of which has been recovered.
Gumbo was later arrested after Chirongoma alerted a friend who is a police officer, leading to an operation that caught him at Esigodini
