Prisoners turn to God
DARING thieves on Monday evening broke into the house of High Court judge Justice Garainesu Mawadze (
in Harare, assaulted his son, stripped the judge’s official car of all wheels and other components, and stole US$1 500 and electrical gadgets from the house.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi on Wednesday said investigations were still in their infancy.
“The ZRP is investigating a case of unlawful entry and theft in which Justice Mawadze’s Harare home was broken into under unclear circumstances,” he said.
Although the details were still sketchy, sources close to the investigations said the robbers first sprayed two dogs with tearsmoke before tying them to a tree.
They then stripped four wheels, all the lights and the grill from his service vehicle a Mercedes-Benz E300 that was parked in the yard.
None of his personal vehicles were touched.
After stripping off the vehicle, the robbers forced open the main door and ransacked the house before stealing US$1 500, a DVD player and an iPhone.
Justice Mawadze’s son arrived while the gang was busy stealing in the house.
The gang manhandled him before spraying him with tearsmoke. He was assaulted and left unconscious after sustaining a deep cut in the stomach.
The robbers also destroyed some of the property before disappearing.
Crime Reporter
FIVE witnesses will next Thursday testify in a case in which a Government employee and his son were recently arrested in Glen View on allegations of destroying a Mercedes-Benz and other property belonging to his daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
Daniel Nyamubarwa (61), a driver with the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and his son, Cassidy Tinashe (24), appeared before Mbare magistrate Ms Kudzai Zihove facing charges of malicious damage to property and unlawful entry into premises.
Ms Zihove ordered that the five witnesses should come and testify next week as the trial continues.
The incident occurred after the boyfriend, Posan Chitendere (30), was having problems with Nyamubarwa’s daughter, Memory Tariro (28), after he terminated the relationship last year.
Allegations are that on August 12 last year at around 9:20pm, Chitendere was seated in his car, a Mercedes-Benz C240 at his house in Glen View Area 8 when Nyamubarwa, who was driving a Government-owned Nissan NP300 parked behind him while Cassidy, who was driving a lorry, parked in front, thus trapping Chitendere.
Chitendere then approached Nyamubarwa intending to speak to him but was allegedly hit on the shin with a metal bar. Chitendere fled from the scene. Nyamubarwa and his son allegedly started destroying Chitendere’s vehicle using an axe and other unknown weapons while Chitendere watched helplessly from a distance.
Chitendere then phoned the police and officers from Glen View Police Station attended to the scene but could not restrain the two because they were armed.
The vehicle, worth US$7 500, was extensively damaged and it has since been declared a write-off. It is still parked at Glen View Police Station.
After damaging the vehicle, Nyamubarwa and Cassidy went to Chitendere’s house and forced their way inside. There they destroyed an HP monitor and stole two HP laptops, a HP CPU, US$3 600, $6 000 and six pairs of trousers.
It is alleged that they further poured drinks and cooking oil on his bed before disappearing from the scene.
AT least 30 prison inmates on Tuesday graduated with certificates in Bible Studies after completing a year-long course.
The course was offered by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) in collaboration with Mahanaim Bible College of South Korea. The aim of the studies was to change the inmates’ mindset and ensure they were transformed into responsible citizens.
In a speech read on his behalf at the graduation ceremony in Harare, ZPCS Commissioner-General Major-General (Retired) Paradzai Zimondi said it was important for prisoners to be successfully rehabilitated.
“Once offenders are successfully rehabilitated through participation in programmes and activities of their choice under the auspices of our qualified staff, chances are high that they will live as productive and law-abiding citizens,” he said.
Comm-Gen Zimondi urged the public to partner ZPCS to successfully rehabilitate inmates.
“The inmates who are flooding our prisons and correctional institutions do come from the community and upon their release they also go back to the same community they would have come from,” he said.
“This clearly shows that the community is their permanent residence. The ZPCS is only there to provide temporary relief to society by incarcerating offenders and ensuring that they serve their time as determined by the courts and also undergo rehabilitation.
Speaking on behalf of the Mahanaim Bible College, Pastor Kim Ki Sung reiterated the need for the successful rehabilitation of inmates through various courses.