Zanu-PF youths remanded for extortion

Four members of the National Youth Service who were arrested last week for extortion and kidnapping were yesterday further remanded in custody when they appeared at the Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Courts yesterday.

The four, Hardlife Ndlovu (29) of House Number 1111 Emakhandeni, Nqobani Mlilo (31) from 1987 Nkulumane 10, his neighbour Mthunzi Mabhena (28) of 1986 Nkulumane 10 and Obert Musindo (32) of 64637/2 Tshabalala, pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Regional magistrate Mark Dzira remanded them in custody to tomorrow for trial.

The State's case as outlined by the prosecutor, Mr Goodluck Katenaire, was that the youths on Wednesday last week approached the three complainants who are route marshals at

Mac's Garage, where they load commuter omnibuses that ply the Masvingo, Filabusi and Gwanda routes.

They allegedly ordered Mr Wilson Makamba, Mr Mugove Nhete and Mr Danny Mpofu and a number of their colleagues into a blue kombi and drove them to the Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial headquarters at Davies Hall against their will. Mr Katanaire alleged that the four accused demanded $50 from each of the route marshals, saying the money was meant to buy fuel for vehicles parked at Davies Hall.

The accused allegedly told the marshals that if they did not pay, they would bar them from loading vehicles at the garage.

The youths allegedly told the marshals that once they paid the money, on a daily basis, they would protect them from police harassment on the roads.

The complainants allegedly asked them to reduce the money they were asking for, saying it was impossible for them to raise it. They reportedly negotiated and ended up settling for $12 for the Masvingo route, $7 for Filabusi and $5 for the Gwanda route.

The accused allegedly released the complainants at around 3pm, after holding them for nearly two hours. They made an arrangement whereby the accused would call them to get the money once they had collected it from vehicles plying their respective routes, the court heard.

However, a trap was set for the accused when they went to collect the money about 45 minutes after releasing the complainants.

Plain clothes detectives pounced on them when they showed up.

In denying the charges, the accused alleged that they went to Mac's Garage after receiving a telephone call informing them that there were people who were asking for bribes, pretending to be police officers.

They said they were shocked when they got arrested after arriving at the scene.

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