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South Africans cleared in Zimbabwe robbery plot
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Three South African men have been acquitted in a high-profile armed robbery case linked to the late underworld figure, Godknows Machingura, following a protracted and dramatic trial that exposed deep tensions between defence lawyers and police investigators.
The trio - Ndiafhi Makhado (39), Andrew Masubelele (38), and Emmanuel Makamo (22) - were cleared by a Harare magistrate on Friday, 6 October 2025, after the state failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. Their lawyer, Claude Bare, successfully argued for their acquittal after mounting a strong defence.
However, their alleged Zimbabwean accomplice, Paul Zhou, was convicted and is scheduled to be sentenced on 15 October 2025.
The case stemmed from a police raid in December 2023 at a guest house on Mauritius Road in Arcadia, Harare. Acting on a tip-off about a planned robbery targeting businessman Paul Chimbodza, detectives confronted the suspects. The situation turned violent when one of the men, Jabulani Ngobeni, opened fire, prompting a gunfight in which he was shot and later died at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Police arrested Makhado, Masubelele, Makamo, Zhou, and Ngobeni during the raid, recovering a 9mm Star Pistol with four rounds. Investigators alleged that Zhou had arranged accommodation for the group and hired two vehicles - a Toyota Fortuner and a Honda Fit - using US$400 provided by Machingura.
Although Zhou reportedly confessed to the plan, he later retracted the statement, claiming it had been coerced. The prosecution also accused the group of plotting another robbery along Birmingham Road in Kwekwe.
Machingura, who was suspected of masterminding a series of armed robberies, was later killed in a separate police operation after a high-speed chase that ended in a shoot-out near Morgan High School in Arcadia. Police recovered a 9mm Taurus pistol with nine live rounds from the scene.
The trial, which began in May 2024, was overshadowed by Machingura's death. Defence lawyers demanded that the state produce a letter confirming his passing, but the prosecution dismissed the request, insisting it was "common knowledge" that Machingura and Ngobeni were deceased.
In November 2025, the courtroom drama deepened when Zhou's lawyer, Musindo Hungwe, withdrew from the case, citing threats from CID Homicide detectives. Hungwe alleged that police officers had attempted to influence the defence's handling of video evidence.
"Following that announcement, covert and overt efforts have been made by members of CID Homicide and their associates to influence us not to use the said videos," he told the court. He also claimed that another lawyer, Joseph Nemaisa, had previously abandoned the case under similar pressure. Advocate Lovemore Madhuku later replaced Hungwe as Zhou's counsel.
On October 6, 2025, the magistrate ruled that the prosecution's evidence was inconsistent and insufficient to sustain a conviction against the South Africans, leading to their acquittal. The verdict ended nearly two years of legal uncertainty for the trio.
The case has reignited public interest in the mysterious death of Machingura, whose influence reportedly extended into the entertainment scene. In January 2024, popular Zimdancehall artist Freeman (Energy Chizanga) was questioned by CID Homicide after images emerged showing him in the company of Machingura and other suspected armed robbers.
Machingura's family continues to dispute the police's account of his death, claiming that an autopsy revealed multiple gunshot wounds. "It is falsely reported that Godknows sustained one gunshot wound, yet he had five - two in the head, one below the ribs, and two in the legs," a family member said at the time.
Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi responded by urging the family to engage the Commissioner-General's office directly with their concerns, saying investigations into the circumstances surrounding Machingura's death were ongoing.
The acquittal of the South Africans closes one chapter in a saga that has gripped the public since 2023, blending allegations of organised crime, police misconduct, and the blurred lines between law enforcement and the criminal underworld.
The trio - Ndiafhi Makhado (39), Andrew Masubelele (38), and Emmanuel Makamo (22) - were cleared by a Harare magistrate on Friday, 6 October 2025, after the state failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. Their lawyer, Claude Bare, successfully argued for their acquittal after mounting a strong defence.
However, their alleged Zimbabwean accomplice, Paul Zhou, was convicted and is scheduled to be sentenced on 15 October 2025.
The case stemmed from a police raid in December 2023 at a guest house on Mauritius Road in Arcadia, Harare. Acting on a tip-off about a planned robbery targeting businessman Paul Chimbodza, detectives confronted the suspects. The situation turned violent when one of the men, Jabulani Ngobeni, opened fire, prompting a gunfight in which he was shot and later died at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Police arrested Makhado, Masubelele, Makamo, Zhou, and Ngobeni during the raid, recovering a 9mm Star Pistol with four rounds. Investigators alleged that Zhou had arranged accommodation for the group and hired two vehicles - a Toyota Fortuner and a Honda Fit - using US$400 provided by Machingura.
Although Zhou reportedly confessed to the plan, he later retracted the statement, claiming it had been coerced. The prosecution also accused the group of plotting another robbery along Birmingham Road in Kwekwe.
Machingura, who was suspected of masterminding a series of armed robberies, was later killed in a separate police operation after a high-speed chase that ended in a shoot-out near Morgan High School in Arcadia. Police recovered a 9mm Taurus pistol with nine live rounds from the scene.
The trial, which began in May 2024, was overshadowed by Machingura's death. Defence lawyers demanded that the state produce a letter confirming his passing, but the prosecution dismissed the request, insisting it was "common knowledge" that Machingura and Ngobeni were deceased.
In November 2025, the courtroom drama deepened when Zhou's lawyer, Musindo Hungwe, withdrew from the case, citing threats from CID Homicide detectives. Hungwe alleged that police officers had attempted to influence the defence's handling of video evidence.
"Following that announcement, covert and overt efforts have been made by members of CID Homicide and their associates to influence us not to use the said videos," he told the court. He also claimed that another lawyer, Joseph Nemaisa, had previously abandoned the case under similar pressure. Advocate Lovemore Madhuku later replaced Hungwe as Zhou's counsel.
On October 6, 2025, the magistrate ruled that the prosecution's evidence was inconsistent and insufficient to sustain a conviction against the South Africans, leading to their acquittal. The verdict ended nearly two years of legal uncertainty for the trio.
The case has reignited public interest in the mysterious death of Machingura, whose influence reportedly extended into the entertainment scene. In January 2024, popular Zimdancehall artist Freeman (Energy Chizanga) was questioned by CID Homicide after images emerged showing him in the company of Machingura and other suspected armed robbers.
Machingura's family continues to dispute the police's account of his death, claiming that an autopsy revealed multiple gunshot wounds. "It is falsely reported that Godknows sustained one gunshot wound, yet he had five - two in the head, one below the ribs, and two in the legs," a family member said at the time.
Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi responded by urging the family to engage the Commissioner-General's office directly with their concerns, saying investigations into the circumstances surrounding Machingura's death were ongoing.
The acquittal of the South Africans closes one chapter in a saga that has gripped the public since 2023, blending allegations of organised crime, police misconduct, and the blurred lines between law enforcement and the criminal underworld.
Source - online
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