News / Regional
West Nich trio sentenced to five years in prison
16 Feb 2013 at 05:53hrs | Views
THREE men from West Nicholson in Gwanda District were yesterday sentenced to five years in prison for robbing three teachers of $3 200 as well as some groceries. Vusumuzi Mpofu (42), Honest Mangena (30) and Kwanele Mathuthu (22) pleaded not guilty to robbery but were convicted by Gwanda magistrate Ms Sheila Nazombe.
They each had one year of their sentences suspended on condition that they paid restitution to the teachers on or before 29 April this year.
On 12 December last year at about 11am, Mr Nkosilathi Moyo, of 15408 Nkulumane in Bulawayo, a primary school teacher based at Holy Cross Education Centre, Umtata District in Eastern Cape, South Africa, Mrs Charity Moyo, of the same address, who is a teacher at Mgoqo Primary School in Nkulumane, Bulawayo and Mrs Mabel Pfumaindisu, of Number 5 Mannikan Close, Northway in Bulawayo, a teacher at Fair and Sand Primary School in South Africa, were coming from South Africa heading for Bulawayo.
Mr Moyo was driving the vehicle in which the three complainants were travelling in together with Mrs Pfumaindisu's two children.
When they reached the 182km-peg along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road, their vehicle developed a mechanical fault forcing them to stop besides the road to check on the problem.
While still checking on the problem, the three robbers emerged from a nearby bush in the company of four others, who are still at large. The seven robbers were armed with logs, iron bars and a machete.
One of the robbers struck Mr Moyo on the left arm with a machete and force-marched the three complainants into the bush where the robbers demanded cash while assaulting the complainants with stones and logs.
The robbers divided themselves into two groups and one group went back to the vehicle where they ransacked everything in the vehicle and all the robbers disappeared into the bush.
The matter was reported to the police at West Nicholson and a team of police officers attended to the scene and tracked the footprints of the robbers. About 500 metres from the scene, police recovered various clothing items which were part of the stolen property. While they were still looking at the stolen property, one of the robbers, Mpofu, emerged from the bush carrying a bag with an empty sack heading towards the spot where the stolen property was hidden.
Police arrested Mpofu after he failed to account for his journey leading to the arrest of two other robbers, Mangena and Mathuthu.
Mr Mncedisi Dube prosecuted.
They each had one year of their sentences suspended on condition that they paid restitution to the teachers on or before 29 April this year.
On 12 December last year at about 11am, Mr Nkosilathi Moyo, of 15408 Nkulumane in Bulawayo, a primary school teacher based at Holy Cross Education Centre, Umtata District in Eastern Cape, South Africa, Mrs Charity Moyo, of the same address, who is a teacher at Mgoqo Primary School in Nkulumane, Bulawayo and Mrs Mabel Pfumaindisu, of Number 5 Mannikan Close, Northway in Bulawayo, a teacher at Fair and Sand Primary School in South Africa, were coming from South Africa heading for Bulawayo.
Mr Moyo was driving the vehicle in which the three complainants were travelling in together with Mrs Pfumaindisu's two children.
When they reached the 182km-peg along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road, their vehicle developed a mechanical fault forcing them to stop besides the road to check on the problem.
One of the robbers struck Mr Moyo on the left arm with a machete and force-marched the three complainants into the bush where the robbers demanded cash while assaulting the complainants with stones and logs.
The robbers divided themselves into two groups and one group went back to the vehicle where they ransacked everything in the vehicle and all the robbers disappeared into the bush.
The matter was reported to the police at West Nicholson and a team of police officers attended to the scene and tracked the footprints of the robbers. About 500 metres from the scene, police recovered various clothing items which were part of the stolen property. While they were still looking at the stolen property, one of the robbers, Mpofu, emerged from the bush carrying a bag with an empty sack heading towards the spot where the stolen property was hidden.
Police arrested Mpofu after he failed to account for his journey leading to the arrest of two other robbers, Mangena and Mathuthu.
Mr Mncedisi Dube prosecuted.
Source - TC
