Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura
A SUSPECTED femme fatale and her two alleged thug lovers are at the center of a chilling armed robbery case after a Bulawayo indrive driver was ambushed, gagged, and tossed in the boot of his car during a late-night job gone wrong!
Clifford Desmond Nare (34), Monalisa Mhlanga (21), and Fikile Ncube (26), appeared before Western Commonage Regional Court magistrate Sibongile Marondedze, facing armed robbery charges. They’ve all been remanded in custody to May 28.
Prosecutor Milton Moyo told the court that on 2 March 2025, the gang pounced on driver Orchard Nyawo outside Zion of Judah Church in Pumula South, using a fake indrive booking to lure him in.
“I received a call from a woman needing a lift to Rainbow Towers,” Nyawo testified. “When I arrived and called back, she wasn’t answering. Suddenly my window shattered and three gun-wielding men jumped in!”
Nyawo had a gun shoved in his mouth, his feet stripped of shoes, arms bound, and was stuffed in his Honda Fit’s boot. The trio allegedly threatened to torch him alive if he made a move.
The gang reportedly used the car to storm D.A. Garage in Nkulumane 12, pretending to buy fuel before overpowering security and workers on site. They fled with just $60 and left his phone behind, a move that would later haunt them.
Cops tracked the number used to make the fake booking and it was registered to accused number two, Monalisa Mhlanga. She had allegedly tried to cover her tracks with a fake Econet address, but detectives dug up her Facebook and linked her to a police officer’s mutuals.
“She said she was in Pumula South that night and admitted calling an indrive,” said one of the detectives. “She also revealed she was with accused number three, Fikile Ncube, who offered her a place to wait for her ride.”
Police later raided Ncube’s place and recovered a grey ‘Vog’ tracksuit and black mask — items that match CCTV footage from D.A. Garage showing one of the robbers in action.
Accused number one, Nare, confessed during police indications, even pointing out the exact hijack and robbery spots, but later claimed he was forced to talk after “harassment by police.”
Detective Dube, who helped crack the case, confirmed the gang was part of a wider robbery ring and had already lost two other members, now deceased, in related heists. A silver sword and pistol were recovered.
Despite the mounting evidence, all three suspects denied involvement and questioned the validity of the CCTV and recovered clothing.
All eyes are now on the May 28 court showdown, where detectives are expected to bring the damning footage and stolen gear to settle the matter once and for all.
Was it a setup from a sly seductress? Or are they all just scapegoats in a twisted tale of bullets and betrayal? Stay tuned — B-Metro will be there when the gavel drops!
