Serial robber jailed 45 months

Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
A SERIAL armed robber who terrorised Victoria Falls residents told the court that he was robbing people in order to raise money for medication as he is HIV positive.

Michael Khumalo, 32, of Chinotimba was on Thursday sentenced to 45 months in jail after magistrate Sharon Rosemani convicted him of five counts of robbery.

He was previously convicted of threats of violence and theft.

Sentencing Khumalo, Rosemani said: “As a chronically ill person, you should stay away from crime as jail life isn’t good for your health.”

She said in coming up with an appropriate sentence, she considered that some of the property had been recovered.

“You told the court that you committed crime because you wanted to raise money for your medication as your CD4 count is very low. However, in aggravation, the number of complainants you attacked shows that you’re insensitive and worse still one of your victims is a woman.

“It’s bad to rob people and robbing a woman is even worse. You’ve also been convicted before and that shows you’re unrepentant. You went on to resist arrest and all this makes it difficult for this court to say you can reform and a prison term is best for you,” said Rosemani.

Prosecuting, Takunda Ndovorwi said on the first count, Khumalo armed himself with a knife and ambushed Polite Phiri at Mkhosana turn-off on February 7 this year.

“The accused hit the complainant and he fell down. He stuck a knife to his neck and demanded cash. The accused took away a wallet with $12 cash, an ID card, two cellphone handsets all worth $97,” said Ndovorwi.

In some instances Khumalo would arm himself with broken bottles and threaten to stab his victims.

On March 3, Khumalo pounced on Paddington Chinduru and Kelly Dzangai who were walking from the Zambezi river towards a low density suburb.

He forced the two to sit down on the road before demanding property and was given five cellphones and $173.On the following day, Khumalo attacked two other victims and stole cellphones.Two of his victims spotted him and alerted the police but he fled after tearing up a police officer’s uniform as he resisted arrest.

Khumalo was arrested when he left one of the stolen handsets charging at a neighbour’s place.

The neighbour who knew the owner of the stolen cell phone alerted him leading to Khumalo’s arrest. He had also given one of the stolen handsets to his girlfriend.