Quartet accused of axe attack and US$500 heist

Kimberley Chitambara, [email protected]

FOUR men from Bulawayo’s Manningdale suburb have appeared in court accused of storming a neighbour’s home, assaulting him and robbing him of two laptops and US$500 in daylight.

Given Sibanda (20), Emson Sibanda (31), Augustine Sibanda (25) and Peace Dube (25) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Patience Madondo facing a charge of robbery. They were remanded in custody to today, December 15, for trial.

Prosecuting, Mr Methuli Ncube said the incident occurred on December 8 at around 1:40pm when the quartet allegedly conspired to raid the complainant, Tadiwanashe Mwale’s home in Manningdale.

Upon arrival, one of the suspects allegedly used an axe to break down the main door while the others entered through the back door.

Inside, they attacked Mwale, striking him on the left side of the chest with a garden digger while demanding money.
“The accused persons searched the complainant’s bedroom and stole US$500 cash and two laptops — a Lenovo and a Dell — before fleeing,” said Mr Ncube.

Mwale later reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the four. However, none of the stolen property was recovered.

He was taken to hospital for treatment after sustaining injuries during the attack.