Magistrate sentences armed robbers to 12 additional years

Magistrate Noel Mpeiwa has sentenced two armed robbers, already serving lengthy prison terms, to 12 years each following a full trial.

Tafadzwa Richard Marondera (21) and Luke Zinyengere (45), who are currently serving 22-year sentences, were found guilty of armed robbery after overwhelming evidence linked them to the crime, Magistrate Mpeiwa ruled.

"The accused had no tangible defence, and the State proved beyond doubt that they committed the offence," Mpeiwa said.

According to Prosecutor Tendai Tapi, the two assaulted Tinashe Chikove on January 22 last year while armed with two pistols, stealing 11 iPhone cellphones among other items.

The pair had previously been convicted and sentenced to 22 years by Harare Magistrate Fadzai Mtombeni for conspiring with a prison officer, Donald Madzinga, to smuggle a revolver into their cell. The weapon had been delivered by Zinyengere's younger brother, Tinotenda, concealed in a bowl of rice.

On March 21, 2025, while being escorted to Harare Magistrates Court, Zinyengere hid the revolver in his pants and brandished it outside the court, threatening prison officers. During the ensuing chaos, Zinyengere scaled the court's palisade fence and escaped, while Marondera was apprehended.

Zinyengere then hijacked a brown Mazda Demio, forcing the driver out at gunpoint, and fled at high speed despite officers firing shots to stop him. The vehicle was recovered the following day along Kaguvi Street. Witnesses reported seeing Zinyengere jump out of the car in civilian clothes before fleeing on foot.

After a three-day manhunt, detectives from the CID Homicide Unit apprehended Zinyengere on March 24 near Electrosales along Mutare Road.

Magistrate Mpeiwa's ruling effectively extends the sentences of both men, reinforcing the courts' zero-tolerance stance on violent crimes, even for already-incarcerated offenders.