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Zvikomborero Parafini
HARARE magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa has ordered the State to summon a psychiatric specialist who declared that notorious armed robber Courage Dumba is mentally unstable.
Dumba has been on remand since January last year.
The State hasn’t been able to start the trial because Dumba was posing as a mental health patient in court and appearing to be hallucinating.
Faced with the circumstances, the State had no choice but to proceed with the Mental Health Act, which allows for suspected psychiatric patients to be mentally examined by two doctors to establish of they are fit to stand trial.
According to the findings, Dumba is a bipolar patient. Magistrate Gofa ordered prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti to summon the doctor to court so that he or she could be cross examined on the findings because it boggled the mind how a psychiatric patient could participate in a complex offence like robbery.
The matter resumes on August 6.
Dumba was arrested after the Melfort shootout with police.
He is being charged together with Alfa Mananga, 32, Zondani Ngarande, 25, Thulani Munetsi and Robson Mhandu 29.
The other suspect, Tichaona Kariwo, was shot dead during the exchange of gunfire.
They are facing eight counts of armed robbery. According to court papers, in one of the incidents, on February 19, 2022, the suspects robbed a Harare woman of US$3,170 before they stole her car.
The court heard on 20 February 2022, the gang robbed a couple which was coming from church of US$120 and their cellphones.
In June 2022, they robbed a shop, which was being guarded by RAMS security guards, and got away with US$13 000.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter