Jailbreak carjacker at large

A NOTORIOUS armed carjacker who with a colleague escaped from police custody in dramatic style on Monday last week, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Detectives have since launched a massive manhunt for his partner in crime.

The police had taken the duo for indications in Harare when they somehow removed their handcuffs and leg irons, before jumping off a vehicle at Ntabazinduna tollgate.

Stunned police officers could not shoot at Farai Nhiwatiwa (30) of Njube suburb in Bulawayo and Dominic Tachiona Tichawangana as there were people in the way.

Nhiwatiwa was re-arrested at a relative's house on the following day while Tichawangana is still at large.

The duo carjacked three motorists and also robbed them of cash and cellphones with a third accomplice, Maxwell Robson Senzawayo, who is yet to be arrested.

They stripped one of their victims undressed and left him tied up by a roadside.

Nhiwatiwa pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery (carjacking), one count of armed robbery and a count of unlawful escape from police custody when he appeared before magistrate Mr Joseph Mabeza.

Mr Mabeza tried the counts separately and sentenced Nhiwatiwa to an effective 16 years in prison.

A barefoot Nhiwatiwa, clad in a filthy jacket and a short, had pleaded with the court to be lenient in passing sentence saying he was an orphan and had a family looking up to him.

Prosecuting, Mr Tinashe Dzipe said the trio carjacked and robbed four people in Bulawayo between July 29 and August 13 this year.

"On July 29 around 12:45AM, they carjacked Mr Sylvester Chitandawata, a taxi driver who was coming from Pumula East. The three pretended to be going to the city centre via Emganwini suburb," he said.

Nhiwatiwa sat in front and gave instructions to Chitandawata until he stopped the car as a result of confusion. The trio dragged him out of the car, force-marched him to a bush where they took $163 and a Huawei cell phone from him," he said.

The trio drove away in his Toyota Raum after stripping him undressed and stealing his clothes. They dumped the car along Plumtree road.

Mr Dzipe said on August 2, the gang went to Moriah guest lodge pretending to be customers and were attended to by the manager, Mr Robert Chinemurumbi. They left and promised to return later.

"At around 9:30PM, they carjacked a Honda fit driver Mr Ndumiso Ndlovu at the intersection of Masiyepambili, Luveve and Emakhandeni Road. They had hired him to drive them to Nhliziyo Shops in Entumbane.

"They robbed him of $18, a Huawei cell phone, tied him with seat belts and drove off in his car. They sold the car to Samson Marondera Musekiwa who could not be located," he said.

Mr Dzipe said around 10PM, the gang returned to the lodge brandishing a pistol which they used to threaten Mr Chinemurumbi before robbing him of $50 and an Iphone 5C," he said.

"After the robbery they ordered him to lock himself in a toilet and drove off in the vehicle they stole from Mr Ndlovu," Mr Dzipe said.

"On August 13 they carjacked Mr McAndrew Munorweyi, a taxi driver. They grabbed him by the neck and shoved him into the backseat of his car after asking him to stop the car at a house in Northend."

The prosecutor said Mr Munorweyi sustained bruises when he escaped by jumping from the moving vehicle.

The criminals robbed him of $20 and a Gtel A1 cell phone.

Nhiwatiwa and Tichawangana were initially arrested on August 24.