Police bust theft syndicate

Court Reporter
POLICE in Bulawayo have bust a suspected seven-member syndicate of thieves believed to be part of a gang that was allegedly terrorising residents in Cowdray Park suburb.
Moffat Teka (25), of 7182 Cowdray Park, brothers Elijah (24), Aaron (27) and Rugare Muchadhla (31), all of 7165 Cowdray Park, Langa Nyathi (35), of 6512, Jeshua Gonzo (29), of 7628 and Mandlenkosi Ndebele (23), of 2107 in the same suburb were arrested after being implicated in three cases of unlawful entry into premises and a case of rape they allegedly committed last month.
They stole property that include cellphones, radios, bags, clothes, kitchen utensils, toiletries, blankets and groceries as well as cash with a combined value of more than $3 000 and 600 pula.
The seven suspected thieves would allegedly break into houses at night and threaten occupants with axes and iron bars in the popular old “gubuzela” style where they would order complainants to cover themselves with blankets before looting their property.
In some of the cases they would allegedly rape the occupants before disappearing into the night with the stolen property.
Teka, Elijah, Aaron, Rugare, Nyathi, Gonzo and Ndebele have since been dragged to court to answer  charges where they are admitting to theft but are denying ever raping the complainants.
They appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Godwin Sengweni yesterday.
The State is alleging that on 3 October the seven hatched a plan to go and break into house Number 6960 in Cowdray Park armed with an iron bar.
While there, the court heard they allegedly broke the door to gain entry into the complainant’s two-roomed house.
The complainant was sleeping and they allegedly ordered her to cover herself with blankets.
One of the men allegedly forced himself into the woman’s blankets and raped her once while his accomplices were ransacking the house and looting property.
After raping her, the suspected rapist thief allegedly threatened her not to uncover herself and joined others in looting the property.
The court heard that they later demanded money and threatened to strike her with an iron bar if she refused.
The complainant allegedly handed over the three cellphones, $100 and other valuables to the gang members who left after threatening her with death if ever she reported them to the police.
The complainant told the court that one of the gang members was carrying an axe when they broke into her house and told her to cover herself with blankets.
She later woke up and discovered that her property had been stolen and made a report at Cowdray Park Police Post.
Fearing for her life, the complainant left her house for some time and went to stay with relatives.
On 14 October, the court heard the seven suspected thieves went back to the same house at night and broke the window to gain entry as the doors were locked and there was no one in the house. They allegedly ransacked the house and looted property.