Online Reporter
Arron Nyamayaro
Two men, Sanele Simbarashe Makono (23) and Sterio Joao Mahachi (55), have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Mutare High Court for murder.
Mahachi was already in jail serving a five-year sentence for robbery. On January 20, 2026, both men appeared before Justice Isaac Muzenda at the Mutare High Court, with chief prosecutor Mr Malvin Musarurwa representing the State.
The court heard from Detective Inspector Rachel Muteweri of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), that the duo brutally murdered the victim along the Harare-Mutare railway line, near Yeovil suburb in Mutare, in September 2024.
The pair stabbed the victim multiple times before stealing his cellphone and other valuables.
“On September 14, 2024, CID detectives, aided by network service providers, traced the stolen cellphone to Makono,” said Detective Inspector Muteweri.
“He eventually implicated Mahachi and another accomplice, Timothy Charles, who remains at large.”
The duo is also being investigated for two more murders.
In another case, 19-year-old Thabani Gambiza from Huchu village, Mberengwa, was sentenced to 15 years for murder.
On August 19, 2025, Gambiza, along with his accomplice Fungai Kuboya (still at large), assaulted a victim during a drinking session, resulting in the victim’s death from sustained injuries.
Gambiza was arrested following a police investigation and appeared before Judge Munamato Mutevedzi at the Gweru High Court on January 19, 2026, where prosecutor Michael Mhene represented the State.
Meanwhile, four men—Charles Munyaradzi Dhokotera (42), Donald Travolta Matunhu (28), Mayor Sibanda (34), and Bothwell Kamwendo (40) were sentenced to 82-years each on nine counts of armed robbery by Murehwa Magistrate Loyce Mukunyadzi on January 16, 2026.
The crimes occurred in April 2025 at the Nyamuzara Business Centre, in Murehwa, where they invaded a bar armed with rifles and a pistol.
They threatened patrons, demanding cash, and later robbed the shop owner’s residence. After a police report, the suspects were arrested and taken into custody. Authorities recovered several firearms—including a .38 special revolver, two 12-bore shotguns, and other items—hidden in a bush near Shavanhowe Bridge in Murehwa.
