News / National
28-year-old armed robber gets 30 years for stealing gold
24 Apr 2013 at 21:55hrs | Views
A 28-year-old man, Jimmy Ngonyana who was resident in South Africa had pleaded not guilty to two charges of attempted murder and robbery when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Rogers Kachambwa.
Due to overwhelming evidence, Mr Kachambwa convicted and sentenced Ngonyana to 37 years but suspended seven on condition of good behaviour in the next five years.
Prosecutor Mr Allan Goche proved that five National Eye security guards were transporting 6 335kg of gold from Jena Mine in Silobela to Harare on July 5.
The security guards locked the gold into the vault of the vehicle which was being driven by Charles Dangarembizi, who was in the company of Richard Simao and Shepherd Dzinavatonga.
The other two guards, Frederick Mukombami and Kudakwashe Mukwashi, were following behind with an escort vehicle, a Toyota Corolla.
Ngonyana and his accomplices blocked the road using tree branches at the 2,5km peg towards Kwekwe.
On noticing that the road was blocked, the security vehicles stopped and the gang armed with pistols, shot and deflated the tyres of the vehicle before smashing the front passenger window of the escort vehicle.
One of the men disarmed Mukwashi and Mukombani and ordered them to lie on the ground.
They sped off with the other vehicle but lost control and veered off the road.
Dzinavatonga fired and hit one of the robbers on the leg.
The gang bundled all the five security guards into the back of the vehicle and locked it from outside before dousing it with petrol and setting it on fire.
The gang used the escort vehicle as the get-away car and they took with them the gold and the pistols.
Ngonyana was arrested in Kuwadzana where he had sought refuge after he tried to run away from the police crack team that shot and injured him.
He was found in possession of a South African identification card with a different name and his accomplices are on the run.
Upon his arrest Ngonyana led the police to the recovery of two pistols, six grammes of gold, a Mercedes Benz and a Honda Fit Sedan he had bought using proceeds from the sale of gold.
Due to overwhelming evidence, Mr Kachambwa convicted and sentenced Ngonyana to 37 years but suspended seven on condition of good behaviour in the next five years.
Prosecutor Mr Allan Goche proved that five National Eye security guards were transporting 6 335kg of gold from Jena Mine in Silobela to Harare on July 5.
The security guards locked the gold into the vault of the vehicle which was being driven by Charles Dangarembizi, who was in the company of Richard Simao and Shepherd Dzinavatonga.
The other two guards, Frederick Mukombami and Kudakwashe Mukwashi, were following behind with an escort vehicle, a Toyota Corolla.
Ngonyana and his accomplices blocked the road using tree branches at the 2,5km peg towards Kwekwe.
On noticing that the road was blocked, the security vehicles stopped and the gang armed with pistols, shot and deflated the tyres of the vehicle before smashing the front passenger window of the escort vehicle.
One of the men disarmed Mukwashi and Mukombani and ordered them to lie on the ground.
They sped off with the other vehicle but lost control and veered off the road.
Dzinavatonga fired and hit one of the robbers on the leg.
The gang bundled all the five security guards into the back of the vehicle and locked it from outside before dousing it with petrol and setting it on fire.
The gang used the escort vehicle as the get-away car and they took with them the gold and the pistols.
Ngonyana was arrested in Kuwadzana where he had sought refuge after he tried to run away from the police crack team that shot and injured him.
He was found in possession of a South African identification card with a different name and his accomplices are on the run.
Upon his arrest Ngonyana led the police to the recovery of two pistols, six grammes of gold, a Mercedes Benz and a Honda Fit Sedan he had bought using proceeds from the sale of gold.
Source - TH
