SERIAL ROBBERS FACE THE MUSIC
TWO suspected serial robbers Godfrey Josi and Valentine Mutasa were yesterday dragged to court in movie style as they were taken to court in a motorcade with sirens.
The two who were arrested after a shoot-out in Greendale on Saturday were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi.
The court heard that on June 15 at University of Zimbabwe Farm Compound Marlborough Harare, Mutasa in the company of his alleged accomplices already on remand and others still at large planned to rob the complainant and in pursuant of their plan they armed themselves with unidentified types of pistols, iron bars and a hammer.
It is alleged that when they arrived at the farm they confronted the security guard Christopher Chizhanga and they started assaulting him demanding to be led to the director of the company.
One of the other security guards spotted Mutasa and his accomplices and fired a shot at them but they fired back and they were led to the director Wend Dong’s house where they broke in and pointed their guns at him demanding money.
They ransacked the house and stole money US$20 000, two Huawei laptops, an Astra revolver with two live rounds of ammunition, a short gun and ammunition.
On the second count it is alleged that on June 27 at around 5am at Zimstrong located at corner Kirkman Drive and Golden Quarry Road in Harare, Mutasa and his accomplices jumped over a precast wall and confronted the security guard whom they threatened to shoot and disarmed him of his riffle loaded with three live rounds.
They went to the residence of the owner of the company but failed to break the door and the owner started firing shots at them and they fled from the scene.
Mutasa was also charged for unlawful possession of firearms after he was reportedly found in possession of a 303 rifle with a magazine of three live rounds and a revolver with an erased serial number loaded with six live rounds of ammunition and had no valid licenses for the guns.
In another case, the court heard that Josi and his accomplices who are still at large broke into Josiah Ezekial Masamvu’s house in Chitungwiza and confronted Masamvu and his wife threatening to shoot them if they refused to give them money.
They reportedly then tied up the couple and ransacked the house and stole US$2 800, four laptops, three phones, clothes and a 38 Amadero Rossi revolver and fled from the scene.
In yet another incident, it is alleged that Josi and his accomplices planned to rob another complainant who resides in Waterfalls and when they scaled over the precast wall, she opened the window and screamed for help but the robbers fired two warning shots and she retreated.
The complainant then reportedly locked herself in the bathroom inside her bedroom and called the Safeguard security reaction team and advised them that a break-in was in progress and she also called her neighbours who started firing shots at the robbers but they were not deterred.
They broke the aluminium door that led to the living room and held all the occupants of the house hostage and hit the complainant on the head with an iron bar before they ransacked the house and stole US$1000, four cellphones and a laptop.
When the Safeguard reaction team arrived and heard gunshots they retreated to get the police but when they came back with the police, the robbers had already fled.
Josi and his wife Juliet Gavaza appeared in court to answer to money laundering charges.
The State has it that Josi committed a spate of robberies in and around Harare from 2017 to 2021.
The court heard that the couple acting in connivance acquired a number of properties using proceeds of crime, a four bedroomed house in Budiriro for US$20 000 from Chenjerai Bopoto, a residential stand in Murewa, a seven roomed house in Zengeza from Moses Kavhumbura for US$36 000, an Isuzu KB 300 from Patrick Madzivire for US$18000, a Honda CRV, a Mercedes benz, a plot measuring 2,5 hectares at Kent Farm, ten cattle, and house hold furniture worth US$3000.
Anesu Chirenje appeared for the State.