Online Reporter
Ronald Mpofu
A PLUMTREE soldier has been slapped with a 10-year jail term alongside his Bulawayo sidekick after a chilling two-day crime spree across Mangwe and Bulilima.
Edward Moyo (28) a uniformed man stationed in Plumtree but living in Hebron suburb, teamed up with Prince PHUTHI (25) of Nkulumane to unleash fear on shopkeepers and a homestead in an armed robbery run that looked straight out of a low-budget action movie.
Magistrate Malunga Dambudzo had no mercy for the duo, handing each of them a decade behind bars after they admitted to three counts of armed robbery. Prosecutor Selestino Madziva laid out their reckless trail of crime in stark detail.
Their spree kicked off on 17 November at Sizabantu General Dealer at Dilankombe Business Centre in Mphoengs. Armed with an Ekol P29 blank airgun, the pair stormed in and helped themselves to a Samsung phone and R12 158, P2 470 and US$54 before melting into the bush.
The very next morning at 7am, they marched into Shalom General Dealer masked up and acting like they owned the place. When the shop attendant hesitated to answer their questions about the day’s takings, Moyo pulled out the gun and ordered her to the floor while Phuthi raided the counter.
They grabbed R2 000, a stack of 100 US$1 Econet airtime cards and another 100 US$1 NetOne cards. Not satisfied, they grilled the terrified worker on why the shop was “so dry.” She explained that her employer, Mr Ndodana Sibanda, had already collected the previous day’s money.
That answer cost her dearly. The robbers forced her to close the shop and marched her to Mr Sibanda’s homestead like a hostage in broad daylight.
There, they pounced on Sibanda, robbing him of three cellphones, R27 910 and US$221 before fleeing once again. The total loot from their spree hit R36 510, but only US$221 was eventually recovered.
Their run, however, was short-lived. Police arrested the pair last week.
derick.khumalo