Death threats as osiphatheleni fight

A NASTY fight has erupted between two illegal foreign currency dealers popularly known as osiphatheleni after one of them who was robbed of cash by gun-wielding robbers in July accused her colleague of allegedly selling her out to the robbers.

Teurai Sofa is allegedly living in fear after Shorai Mashungu, who lost $7 800 and R2 000 to armed robbers, threatened to kill her while accusing her of sending the robbers to her house in Cowdray Park suburb.

Mashungu was robbed on 26 July when the armed robbers, who were all wearing black masks and black clothes, sprayed her maid with an unknown substance which reportedly made her dizzy before they pounced on her.

So nasty is the fight that Sofa last week approached the Bulawayo Civil Court and sought a peace order against Mashungu.

She said at one time Mashungu produced a knife and threatened to stab her with it before she was restrained by some onlookers.

"I filed a case of threats of violence against Shorai Mashungu at the Bulawayo Central Police Station. This is because after she was robbed she started accusing me of sending the robbers to her home in Cowdray Park.

"Since then she has been threatening to kill me. On 25 August she approached me with a knife while threatening to stab me but was restrained by onlookers. Everyday she is harassing me while accusing me of selling her out to the robbers. I am now living in fear as a result of her constant threats," said Sofa.

Both Sofa and Mashungu operate outside a popular fast food outlet — Chicken Inn — situated at corner Leopold Takawira and Fort Street.

In response, Mashungu said Sofa was the one who courted her anger when she started teasing her after she was robbed.

"The applicant (Sofa) is not telling the truth. We are both money changers outside Chicken Inn. What happened is that on 26 July some robbers followed me to my house and stole my money. I reported the matter to the police and investigations are still in progress.

"Problems started when I went to my workplace the following day and the applicant and others started mocking me saying I was going to lose all the money.

"I then asked them what they were going to benefit from that before they further teased me saying they were going to send other armed robbers to my house," said Mashungu.

Mashungu said Sofa was allegedly being protected by her boyfriend, a senior police officer based in Harare.

The presiding magistrate Sheunesu Matova however, granted a binding order in which both parties were ordered not to threaten each other or conduct themselves in a violent manner towards each other.