Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku [email protected]
THE trial of four armed robbers who allegedly pounced on Old Nic Mine in Bulawayo and escaped with nearly US$800 000 has opened before the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Courts.
Andile Mlilo, Thobekani Dlodlo, Content Mguni, and Langathani Mlalazi appeared on Tuesday before Senior Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Mr Mark Dzira facing three counts of armed robbery.
Mlilo, Dlodlo, and Mlalazi are being represented by Mr Goodluck Katenaire of Katenaire-Mbeure Law Chambers, while Mguni is legally represented by Mr Tinashe Dzipe of Morris-Davies Law Firm. All four accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“Mlilo was subjected to serious assault and torture to the extent that he had to receive medical attention whilst in prison for injuries sustained at the hands of the police,” Mr Ketenaire argued.
“He denies any connivance with his co-accused to commit the offence. He never set foot at his workplace on the day in question and disputes being the owner of the cellphone with the South African number used to link him to the crime. Furthermore, on the day in question, Dlodlo was deployed at the milling plant, which is at least half a kilometre away from the scene. At the milling plant, phones are strictly prohibited inside, making the alleged communication a fallacy. Absolutely nothing was recovered from them,” he added.
On behalf of Mguni, Mr Dzipe dismissed state assertions that the accused used proceeds of the crime to purchase a house.
“When he was asked to account for the Mahatshula East residential stand, he explicitly told the investigating officer that the source of the funds was his sister-in-law, Loreen Nyachionjeka, who is a practising attorney in the Republic of South Africa,” said Mr Dzipe.
In total, the armed robbers reportedly got away with US$790 696.65 in cash along with a mobile phone valued at US$130, making the cumulative value of the stolen property US$790 826.65. The matter was postponed to Wednesday, 5 August 2026.
Prosecuting, Mr Jethro Mada told the court that on 23 June 2025, the accused persons connived to rob the gold mining enterprise.
“Mlilo and Dlodlo were employed at Old Nic Mine and caught wind of information that there was a massive cash delivery,” said Mr Mada.
“Armed with this insider intelligence, they leaked the information to their accomplices. At around 12:50pm, Mguni, Mlalazi, and two other suspects who are still at large descended on the mine armed with unidentified firearms and plastic cable ties.”
The court heard that the gang first neutralised the security infrastructure at the car park.
“They found the security guard, Simon Gumbo, on duty. They threatened to shoot him, bound him with plastic cable ties, and robbed him of his service firearm and a communication radio. “They then shoved him under a parked vehicle, leaving one accomplice on guard while the others advanced to the main offices where they stole an initial US$1,550.00,” the prosecutor stated.
The operation then escalated as the gunmen breached the primary administrative offices.
“They headed to the administration block and confronted the administration accountant, Kimberly Amy Fisher, who was in the company of her workmate, Kimberly Judith Muvidziwa. They pointed firearms at the two women and forced Fisher to open the financial safe, where they plundered US$769 016.65 in cash. They further ransacked the office and stole an additional US$20 000.00 housed inside a safe drawer,” said Mr Mada.
Before fleeing the scene, the gang also robbed Muvidziwa of her Redmi 13C mobile phone valued at US$130. Detectives later tracked down the suspects, leading to their arrest and the recovery of the mobile phone alongside a small portion of the buried cash.
Meanwhile, Mguni who was legally represented by Mr Simbarashe Innocent Madzivire of Mashayamombe Law Chambers was previously implicated in a separate armed robbery case where he, his partner, and two others were acquitted after the State failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, citing a flawed identification parade and contradictory witness testimony.
Western Commonage Magistrate Mr Pasipanodya Maturure said the identification parade, which formed part of the State’s evidence in that previous matter, had not been conducted in accordance with established procedures.
“It came to light in court that the investigating officer participated in carrying out the identification parade, and that was procedurally wrong because he was an interested party.
“An identification parade is supposed to be conducted by an independent police officer,” he said.
The magistrate also found significant inconsistencies in the evidence given by prosecution witnesses, casting doubt on the reliability of their identification of the accused.
