Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku, Zimpapers Writer
TWO armed South African nationals accused of robbing a Bulawayo fuel service station of more than US$4 000 at gunpoint were allegedly betrayed by the jackets they wore during the crime, a court heard.
This emerged during the ongoing trial of Nonjabulo Wisdom Nyoni (30) and Chrisvision Ncube, both from Johannesburg, who appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube facing a charge of armed robbery.
Taking the stand first, Nyoni denied any involvement in the robbery and distanced himself from his co accused.
“I do not know this man and only came to know him after my arrest, when I was told his name is Chrisvision. I did not act in concert with him,” he told the court.
Nyoni claimed that on the day of his arrest, he was in Pumula South suburb, adding that the jacket recovered by police did not belong to him.
In his defence, Ncube also denied the charge, telling the court that he was arrested while disembarking from a commuter omnibus en route to visit his girlfriend in Pumula South.
“A vehicle belonging to detectives blocked the kombi I had boarded and thereafter I was arrested. I do not know the jacket that was recovered at the scene,” he said.
However, State witness Bruce Nyoni testified that he saw the two accused hurriedly boarding a commuter omnibus while clutching jackets shortly after the robbery.
“When detectives ordered them to get out of the vehicle, I observed them shoving the jackets under the seat,” he said.
Further implicating the accused, Redan Fuel Service Station representative Mr Casper Musesengwa told the court that employees were able to positively identify the suspects through their clothing.
“On the day of the robbery, we clearly noted the jackets and clothes they were wearing. During the identification parade, we identified them by the jackets and a T-shirt,” said Musesengwa.
Prosecuting, Sehliselo Khumalo told the court that on October 4 last year, Nyoni, Ncube and an accomplice identified only as Mduduzi, who is still at large, raided Redan Fuel Service Station at the corner of Plumtree Road and Gladstone Road in Bellevue, Bulawayo.
“The accused persons arrived in a Honda Fit. Upon arrival, they disembarked and confronted the fuel station supervisor. One of them grabbed him by the neck while pointing a firearm at his head and demanded money,” said Khumalo.
The court heard that the terrified supervisor threw a satchel containing cash onto the ground as ordered.
The assailants then instructed him to lie down before making off with US$4 405 and R1 350, while threatening to shoot him.
The accused allegedly fled the scene in their getaway vehicle along Plumtree Road towards the city centre.
The matter was reported to the police, and detectives from the Homicide Section launched investigations that led to the arrest of Nyoni and Ncube. Police recovered a pistol, US$1 322 and R770 during the operation.
The matter was postponed to January 22 for judgment.
