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Beitbridge armed robber jailed for 12 years
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A Beitbridge armed robber, Azwindini Kwinda, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm.
Kwinda was also ordered to pay a fine of US$300 for the possession of an unlicensed gun, or alternatively, serve an additional six months imprisonment.
For the armed robbery committed on November 9 last year, Kwinda received a 12-year jail sentence, four years of which were suspended on condition of good behaviour, and another three were set aside on the condition of restitution in the sum of R51 000. This left him with an effective five-year jail term.
Kwinda had pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned before Beitbridge regional magistrate Charity Maphosa, who ruled that the State had provided overwhelming evidence against him.
The case revealed that on November 24, near Chicago village close to Beitbridge, Kwinda and his accomplices, Moses Ndou, Zozo, Joseph, Kule Kule, Willet, and Thomas Mbedzi, orchestrated a plan to target smugglers using illegal crossing points.
They placed stones near Maware Hills along the Beitbridge-Dite Road to block vehicles attempting to cross illegally. When a Mazda B2200 attempted to drive through their barricade, it broke down a few metres away.
Kwinda and his gang then pounced on the occupants, firing shots in the air before robbing them of five television sets, 10 blankets, a mobile phone, a power bank, and R5 000 in cash, leaving the victims stranded.
Kwinda's luck ran out when they were cornered in Chicago village a few hours later. The other members of the gang fled, leaving him at the mercy of police detectives who recovered a Star pistol from him.
Willbrought Muleya appeared for the State in the matter.
Kwinda was also ordered to pay a fine of US$300 for the possession of an unlicensed gun, or alternatively, serve an additional six months imprisonment.
For the armed robbery committed on November 9 last year, Kwinda received a 12-year jail sentence, four years of which were suspended on condition of good behaviour, and another three were set aside on the condition of restitution in the sum of R51 000. This left him with an effective five-year jail term.
Kwinda had pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned before Beitbridge regional magistrate Charity Maphosa, who ruled that the State had provided overwhelming evidence against him.
The case revealed that on November 24, near Chicago village close to Beitbridge, Kwinda and his accomplices, Moses Ndou, Zozo, Joseph, Kule Kule, Willet, and Thomas Mbedzi, orchestrated a plan to target smugglers using illegal crossing points.
They placed stones near Maware Hills along the Beitbridge-Dite Road to block vehicles attempting to cross illegally. When a Mazda B2200 attempted to drive through their barricade, it broke down a few metres away.
Kwinda and his gang then pounced on the occupants, firing shots in the air before robbing them of five television sets, 10 blankets, a mobile phone, a power bank, and R5 000 in cash, leaving the victims stranded.
Kwinda's luck ran out when they were cornered in Chicago village a few hours later. The other members of the gang fled, leaving him at the mercy of police detectives who recovered a Star pistol from him.
Willbrought Muleya appeared for the State in the matter.
Source - newsday
