News / National
University lecturer loses 60 assignments to highway robbers
13 May 2013 at 19:43hrs | Views
A Midlands State University lecturer last week lost close to 60 students' assignments after being attacked by four suspected highway armed robbers when his vehicle broke down along the Harare-Bulawayo road last week.
Armed with knives and stones, the robbers allegedly attacked the lecturer as he was fixing his vehicle while his family was inside.
They assaulted the family demanding cash before getting away with two blankets, four mobile phones, clothes, five flash drives and a satchel containing 48 Midlands State University assignments and 10 ZOU assignments.
Previously the gang had robbed a woman they had offered a lift.
Two of the robbers, Tawanda Vambe (32) and Bernard Nzvere (31) yesterday appeared in court charged with two counts of armed robbery while their accomplices are still at large.
Vambe and Nzvere were not asked to plead to the charges when they appeared before magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei, who remanded them in custody to May 27. They were advised to apply for bail at the High Court due to the seriousness of the offence.
Appearing for the State, Miss Junior Mugebe alleged that on April 30 the gang offered Elizabeth Mudondiro a lift from Harare city centre to Greencroft at around 11pm.
Along the way, it is alleged Mudondiro became suspicious and requested for a recess to relieve herself. She went behind the vehicle and noted down the vehicle's registration number.
The woman went back into the vehicle and after travelling for a short distance, the gang stopped the vehicle and one of them produced a knife which he used to threaten Mudondiro.
The court heard that Vambe grabbed Mudondiro by the neck while demanding cash. They stole her mobile phone and US$380 cash before pushing her out of the moving vehicle, it is alleged.
Mudondiro reported the matter to the police and she gave them the vehicle's registration number.
On May 6, the gang pounced on the lecturer at around 9pm. They dragged him into a nearby bush where they took turns to assault him leaving him for dead.
They searched his pockets and took away his two mobile phones and US$140, the court heard. The gang went back to the vehicle and threatened to kill the lecturer's family before getting away with assignments and valuables.
It is the State's case that after the attack, the gang deflated all the tyres and sped from the scene. Investigations led to the arrest of Vambe and Nzvere on May 7 while they were driving along Seke road.
Armed with knives and stones, the robbers allegedly attacked the lecturer as he was fixing his vehicle while his family was inside.
They assaulted the family demanding cash before getting away with two blankets, four mobile phones, clothes, five flash drives and a satchel containing 48 Midlands State University assignments and 10 ZOU assignments.
Previously the gang had robbed a woman they had offered a lift.
Two of the robbers, Tawanda Vambe (32) and Bernard Nzvere (31) yesterday appeared in court charged with two counts of armed robbery while their accomplices are still at large.
Vambe and Nzvere were not asked to plead to the charges when they appeared before magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei, who remanded them in custody to May 27. They were advised to apply for bail at the High Court due to the seriousness of the offence.
Along the way, it is alleged Mudondiro became suspicious and requested for a recess to relieve herself. She went behind the vehicle and noted down the vehicle's registration number.
The woman went back into the vehicle and after travelling for a short distance, the gang stopped the vehicle and one of them produced a knife which he used to threaten Mudondiro.
The court heard that Vambe grabbed Mudondiro by the neck while demanding cash. They stole her mobile phone and US$380 cash before pushing her out of the moving vehicle, it is alleged.
Mudondiro reported the matter to the police and she gave them the vehicle's registration number.
On May 6, the gang pounced on the lecturer at around 9pm. They dragged him into a nearby bush where they took turns to assault him leaving him for dead.
They searched his pockets and took away his two mobile phones and US$140, the court heard. The gang went back to the vehicle and threatened to kill the lecturer's family before getting away with assignments and valuables.
It is the State's case that after the attack, the gang deflated all the tyres and sped from the scene. Investigations led to the arrest of Vambe and Nzvere on May 7 while they were driving along Seke road.
Source - Zimpapers
