News / National
Matambanadzo nabbed
16 May 2013 at 22:46hrs | Views
The suspected mastermind of a series of high profile armed robberies notorious armed robber Luckmore Matambanadzo has been arrested on allegations of robbing Waverley Blankets of more than US$412 000 on Tuesday.
Matambanadzo was arrested on Wednesday in Marimba Park, Harare by detectives from the CID homicide section.
Sources close to the investigations yesterday confirmed the arrest and said Matambanadzo was in custody assisting with investigations.
Matambanadzo is believed to have been part of two armed robbers who, on Tuesday, allegedly robbed a Waverley Blankets staffer of US$412 798 in broad daylight at the entrance of the bank in the light industrial area.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tedius Chibanda confirmed the incident and said investigations were in progress.
"We received a report of one female employee of Waverley Blankets who was robbed of company money amounting to US$412 798 which she intended to bank at Barclays Bank at Kelvin Corner in Graniteside," he said.
It is alleged that on the day the female worker was just a few steps from entering Barclays Bank located at Kelvin Corner with US$412 798 cash in her handbag.
It is believed that upon disembarking from her car and a few steps from the bank's entrance, she was attacked by one of the robbers who tried to snatch her handbag.
During the fight for the handbag it is alleged that a second man joined in to assist his colleague to snatch the bag.
As the woman was resisting the attack it is alleged that the second accused produced a pistol and threatened to shoot the woman who immediately handed over the handbag.
Police reports indicate that after snatching the bag the two robbers sped off in their vehicle which had foreign number plates on it.
In 2008, Matambanadzo was jailed for nine years for armed robbery but filed an application for appeal against conviction and sentence. He had been jailed for robbing a Harare motorist of an Isuzu truck at gunpoint.
In March 2010, the High Court ordered the prosecution to accept US$1 000 that Matambanadzo had been trying to pay following his successful bail application in November 2009.
The courts had granted Matambanadzo bail pending appeal in 2009, but the prosecution reportedly declined to process the documents, leaving him languishing behind bars.
The bail was in respect of an effective nine-year jail term slapped on him for the 2008 robbery. His appeal effectively suspended the sentence pending determination of the matter in the High Court.
Matambanadzo, however faced three fresh charges of armed robbery. The charges concerned alleged car robberies in 2000 (a US$20 000 Volvo), 2001 (a US$25 000 BMW), and waylaying and robbing a Zambian truck driver in 2001.
Regional Magistrate Mr Morgan Nemadire then ordered the State to proceed by way of summons since Matambanadzo had been on remand for a long time.
On the three charges, Matambanadzo was being accused of robbing Mr Andrew Cranswick on April 20, 2000 in Greendale.
Cranswick was driving a Volvo vehicle on his way from a beer drink when he stopped in Greendale to relieve himself.
Matambanadzo and his accomplices Dumisani Ndlovu, Philimon Mtethwa, Todd Nyandingu, Kennedy Hakunaimwe and Collen Chigwedere pounced on him.
Matambanadzo allegedly produced a pistol and demanded the car keys while threatening to shoot Cranswick if he resisted. Cranswick complied and the gang drove away leaving him stranded.
He is believed to be facing several other charges of armed robbery which arose between 2000 and 2001.
On May 16, 2001, Matambanadzo and the same gang robbed a woman of her BMW worth US$25 000 with a South African registration HVG 117 GP at gunpoint and sold it to Douglas Macmillan.
Macmillan was involved in an accident and upon inspection and verification, it was discovered that the car had been stolen.
On September 25, 2001, Matambanadzo, Musa Taj Abdul, Steven Biti, Leroy Bongani Pita and James Kongoshi waylaid a Zambian truck driver and looted property at gunpoint.
In April last year, Matambanadzo was freed after a Harare magistrate granted his application for refusal of remand.
Matambanadzo was arrested on Wednesday in Marimba Park, Harare by detectives from the CID homicide section.
Sources close to the investigations yesterday confirmed the arrest and said Matambanadzo was in custody assisting with investigations.
Matambanadzo is believed to have been part of two armed robbers who, on Tuesday, allegedly robbed a Waverley Blankets staffer of US$412 798 in broad daylight at the entrance of the bank in the light industrial area.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tedius Chibanda confirmed the incident and said investigations were in progress.
"We received a report of one female employee of Waverley Blankets who was robbed of company money amounting to US$412 798 which she intended to bank at Barclays Bank at Kelvin Corner in Graniteside," he said.
It is alleged that on the day the female worker was just a few steps from entering Barclays Bank located at Kelvin Corner with US$412 798 cash in her handbag.
It is believed that upon disembarking from her car and a few steps from the bank's entrance, she was attacked by one of the robbers who tried to snatch her handbag.
During the fight for the handbag it is alleged that a second man joined in to assist his colleague to snatch the bag.
As the woman was resisting the attack it is alleged that the second accused produced a pistol and threatened to shoot the woman who immediately handed over the handbag.
Police reports indicate that after snatching the bag the two robbers sped off in their vehicle which had foreign number plates on it.
In 2008, Matambanadzo was jailed for nine years for armed robbery but filed an application for appeal against conviction and sentence. He had been jailed for robbing a Harare motorist of an Isuzu truck at gunpoint.
In March 2010, the High Court ordered the prosecution to accept US$1 000 that Matambanadzo had been trying to pay following his successful bail application in November 2009.
The bail was in respect of an effective nine-year jail term slapped on him for the 2008 robbery. His appeal effectively suspended the sentence pending determination of the matter in the High Court.
Matambanadzo, however faced three fresh charges of armed robbery. The charges concerned alleged car robberies in 2000 (a US$20 000 Volvo), 2001 (a US$25 000 BMW), and waylaying and robbing a Zambian truck driver in 2001.
Regional Magistrate Mr Morgan Nemadire then ordered the State to proceed by way of summons since Matambanadzo had been on remand for a long time.
On the three charges, Matambanadzo was being accused of robbing Mr Andrew Cranswick on April 20, 2000 in Greendale.
Cranswick was driving a Volvo vehicle on his way from a beer drink when he stopped in Greendale to relieve himself.
Matambanadzo and his accomplices Dumisani Ndlovu, Philimon Mtethwa, Todd Nyandingu, Kennedy Hakunaimwe and Collen Chigwedere pounced on him.
Matambanadzo allegedly produced a pistol and demanded the car keys while threatening to shoot Cranswick if he resisted. Cranswick complied and the gang drove away leaving him stranded.
He is believed to be facing several other charges of armed robbery which arose between 2000 and 2001.
On May 16, 2001, Matambanadzo and the same gang robbed a woman of her BMW worth US$25 000 with a South African registration HVG 117 GP at gunpoint and sold it to Douglas Macmillan.
Macmillan was involved in an accident and upon inspection and verification, it was discovered that the car had been stolen.
On September 25, 2001, Matambanadzo, Musa Taj Abdul, Steven Biti, Leroy Bongani Pita and James Kongoshi waylaid a Zambian truck driver and looted property at gunpoint.
In April last year, Matambanadzo was freed after a Harare magistrate granted his application for refusal of remand.
Source - Herald
