Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
A 19-YEAR-OLD villager from Tshibizwa under Chief Matibe in Beitbridge has been sentenced to eight years behind bars after joining a knife- and gun-wielding gang that robbed a neighbour of cash in a daring midnight raid.
Givers Mbedzi and three accomplices, who are still on the run, pounced on the unsuspecting villager around 1 AM on 2 June this year. Armed with knives, a pistol and a garden pick, they smashed their way into the man’s home before demanding money.
The terrified victim was robbed of R10 000 and US$190, with the thugs threatening to kill him if he resisted. To make their message clear, the gang reportedly fired two warning shots before vanishing into the darkness.
Their reign of terror, however, hit a brick wall when Mbedzi was recognised by the complainant and later nabbed by detectives after a thorough investigation.
He appeared before Beitbridge Regional Magistrate Charity Maphosa and was convicted of robbery.
Mbedzi was initially sentenced to eight years in jail, but four years were suspended on condition of good behaviour — leaving him to serve an effective four-year term.
Prosecutor Willbrought Muleya said police are still hunting for the other three suspects and the stolen money has not been recovered.
Authorities say Mbedzi’s gang had been part of a group terrorising Beitbridge East, leaving villagers in fear.
