Online Reporter
Lesley Chikudo, Sunday News Reporter
TWO friends from Bulawayo, who allegedly conspired with accomplices to rob a taxi driver at gunpoint before tying him up and locking him in the boot of his vehicle, are set to stand trial on 21 May.
Monalisa Mhlanga (21), of Emganwini suburb, and Fikile Ncube (26), of Pumula South suburb, appeared before Western Commonage Regional Magistrate, Mrs Sibongile Marondedze, facing charges of armed robbery.
The pair was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to 21 May, for trial.
The prosecutor, Mr Milton Moyo, told the court that the robbery occurred on 2 March, at around 8pm.
He said the accused, along with accomplices still at large, lured the victim, Mr Orchard Nyawo (37), of Cowdray Park suburb into a trap, using Mhlanga’s mobile phone.
“The accused posed as genuine passengers and used Mhlanga’s phone to request a pick-up from Mr Nyawo, who operates under the InDrive taxi service,” said Mr Moyo.
The alleged pick-up point was along Khami Road, near the Lion of Judah Church in Pumula South.
Upon Mr Nyawo’s arrival, the suspects, reportedly armed with pistols, are said to have smashed the driver’s window, seized the vehicle keys and climbed into the car.
“They demanded Mr Nyawo’s valuables, took his wallet, tied him up with a rope and forced him into the boot of the vehicle,” Mr Moyo told the court.
The suspects then drove the vehicle, a silver Honda Fit, to a nearby garage in Pumula South, allegedly intending to use it for further criminal activities.
However, their plans were thwarted when they triggered the garage’s alarm system.
Panicking, the suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled, leaving Mr Nyawo still locked in the boot.
He was later rescued and police investigations led to the arrest of Mhlanga and Ncube, while their accomplices remain at large.
