Danisa Masuku, Court Reporter
FOUR men allegedly raided a Bulawayo company three times in one afternoon, threatening employees at gunpoint and stealing nearly US$13 000 in cash before fleeing, in a robbery spree that left workers terrified.
Bobby Juwawu (36), of Hillside in Bulawayo, Lerato Takane (36), Forward Dube and Thabo Ndlovu, all from Johannesburg, South Africa, appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Ms Sibongile Marondedze facing robbery allegations.
They were not asked to plead and were advised of their right to engage legal practitioners at their own expense and to apply for bail at the High Court.
The four were remanded in custody until 26 October.
Prosecuting, Ms Rumbidzai Gwishiri told the court that on 22 August 2026, shortly after 2pm, the accused and their accomplices, who are still at large, allegedly entered the complainants’ workplace posing as genuine clients.
“While the complainant was attending to them, the accused went around the counter towards her, producing pistols and demanding cash at gunpoint. They ransacked office desk drawers and her handbag, taking US$210 before dragging her into the workshop and the living cottages,” she said.
Ms Gwishiri said the accused allegedly ransacked one of the cottages and stole US$9 000 belonging to the company’s managing director, which had been entrusted to the complainant.
The accused allegedly locked the complainant and other employees inside a room before fleeing.
At around 2.30PM the same day, another complainant was working in the workshop at Vertex Aluminium and Glass when the accused allegedly stormed the premises armed with pistols.
“They ordered the complainant to lie on the floor and tied his hands with cable ties as they demanded cash. The accused then went upstairs into the complainant’s living cottage, where they ransacked the premises and took US$300 and 700 renminbi, which he kept under his bed,” said Ms Gwishiri.
She told the court that the accused subsequently dragged the complainant and other employees into the cottage and locked them inside.
The complainant later managed to break down the door and reported the incident to the police.
In a third incident at around 2.30PM on the same day, another complainant was away from his workplace when the accused and their accomplices allegedly struck.
Ms Gwishiri said the accused, who were already inside the workshop, heard the complainant calling out, prompting one of them to approach him under the pretext that he had been summoned.
“The complainant walked in front of one of the accused into the workshop, where he sensed danger after realising that his colleagues were under attack.
“He tried to escape, but one of the accused, who was in front of him, pointed a firearm at him and ordered him to lie on the ground. The complainant complied, and one of the accused searched him and took US$4 800 from his pockets,” she said.
The matter was reported to the police, and detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Homicide in Bulawayo conducted investigations that led to the arrest of the four accused.
