A Motswana, who was on holiday in Zimbabwe, was on Christmas Eve robbed of his VW Polo Classic at gunpoint by four Zimbabwean armed robbers who have been masterminding a spate of carjackings in Harare and Chitungwiza.
Three of the four were this week remanded from their hospital beds as they recovered from police gunshot wounds.
The three ÔÇö Vusumuzi Ndlovu (25), Blessed Mashanga (25) and Vincent Hungwe (25) ÔÇö were remanded to January 23 from their beds at Harare Central Hospital.
The fourth suspects ÔÇö Courage Chingwena (23) ÔÇö who was not involved in the shooting, appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts where magistrate, Mr Brighton Pabwe, advised all four to apply for bail at the High Court.
Chingwena, Ndlovu, Mashanga and Hungwe are being charged with four counts of armed robbery of motor vehicle, one count of attempted armed robbery and another of unlawful possession of a firearm.
Prosecutor Mr Servious Kufandada alleges that the first incident took place on December 8 last year at Warren Park turn-off along the Harare-Bulawayo Road.
Ndlovu and Chingwena, who were armed with a P1 pistol, allegedly stopped Mr Gideon Zinyuku’s Mazda 626 vehicle pretending to be travellers desperate for transport.
As they got into the car, the duo allegedly robbed Mr Zinyuku of his vehicle valued at $40 million (Zimbabwean) at gunpoint and made off with property worth $500 000.
The State further alleges that on December 20, the duo pounced on another motorist, Mr Zachia Tagwireyi of Chitungwiza, and robbed him of his Nissan Sunny vehicle worth $7 million using the same tactic.
On December 22, Mr Andrew Mbiriri, who was driving along the New Chitungwiza Road, also fell prey to the gang, it is alleged.
He allegedly lost his Toyota Corolla, valued at $8 million, and other valuables to the tune of $2 million.
The State alleges that on December 23, the four jumped into a Botswana-registered VW Polo Classic before robbing the motorist of the car at gunpoint.
This allegedly happened at St Peter’s Kubatana School Bus Stop, Highfield.
The gang allegedly ran out of luck on January 5 this year, near Crest Breeders, along the Harare-Masvingo Road.
After studying the gang’s tactics, police put them under surveillance.
It is the State’s case that the gang boarded a Mitsubishi L200 truck belonging to Mr Paddington Muchemei in Highfield on the pretext that they were going to Chitungwiza.
The court heard that along the way police signaled the driver to stop at a roadblock. But as the driver was about to stop, he was allegedly forced to speed off under threats.
Police allegedly fired a shot at the car, which eventually stopped about 45 metres away.
The three were shot after resisting arrest.
A search of the car led to the recovery of a pistol on the backseat on which three of the suspects were sitting.
