admin
Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
TWO notorious robbers who went on a spree, attacking and robbing people walking in secluded places such as hills, cemeteries and railway lines will each spend 95 years in prison.
The robbers would at times rape their victims before fleeing with their belongings.
McDonald Mutarangani Hukuimwe, better known as Wastaki (32) and Trymore Nkomazana (28) yesterday appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Fadzai Mthombeni who convicted them on nine robbery counts with each one carrying eight years, bringing the total to 72 years.
For raping one of the complainants who is aged 17, they were slapped with a 20-year jail term each.
They shall serve a year for impersonating police officers and two more years for malicious damage to property.
For the first four counts, the complainants are three minors –two boys and one girl all aged 17 from Warren Park.
Prosecutor Mr Kelvin Munyimi proved that on March 22 last year at around 1pm, the complainants were coming from Warren Park D to Warren Park 1 using a footpath passing through Warren Hills.
Whilst at the peak of Warren Hills, they were approached by Hukuimwe and Nkomazana who purported to be police detectives stationed at CID Southerton enforcing Covid-19 regulations and “arrested” the complainants.
One of them produced a pair of handcuffs which they used to handcuff the two boys for not properly wearing face masks.
The complainants were force marched towards Warren Park Police Station and along the way, the two boys were forced to lie on the ground facing downwards.
Then the girl was taken to a secluded place by the robbers whilst the two boys were under guard by the another robber who is still at large.
Hukuimwe and Nkomazana took turns to rape the girl without protection.
After raping her, the court heard that Hukuimwe took her US$100 and a Huawei cellphone handset from the two boys.
They left the girl at the scene of crime after tying her hands with her panties while the boys were tied with a cloth.
Hukuimwe was arrested by the police on May 15 last year and a police identity card in the name of Constable Kuyangepi was recovered.
He implicated his accomplice Nkomazana leading to his arrest.
On another count, the complainant is a farmer Shacky Kazuru (20), from Kambira Farm.
The court heard that on May 4, last year at around 5pm, Kazuru was walking along a railway line Green Trees in Aspindale, Harare together with Godfrey Alick when he met the pair and their accomplice, only identified as Sly, who is still at large.
One of them stabbed Kazuru on the arm pit, left palm and in the mouth with a knife.
Kazuru tried to fight back but he was overpowered. During the fight for his freedom he managed to capture the robbers’ description.
The robbers took a wallet containing a national identity card, a Huawei Y8 cellphone and US$1 480.
Hukuimwe and Nkomazana also attacked Marlvin Mawire who was also walking on the railway line near where Kazuru was.
The two complainants went to ZRP Southerton Police station and filed a robbery report.
The total value stolen was US$1 600 and nothing was recovered.
The robbers also attacked a man, Godfrey Magawa who was passing by Warren Hills Cemetery on his way home at around 6pm.
They severely assaulted him and took away his cellphone and US$21 cash. The incident took place on May 15 and his cellphone was recovered.
Online Reporter