Harare armed robber jailed 12 years

Harare magistrate Noel Mpeiwa has sentenced Abel Marufu Mukandawire to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of two counts of armed robbery.

Mukandawire's co-accused - Maxwell Stanley (32), George Zindi (49), and Maidei Mukapa (39) - were acquitted after the court found no evidence directly linking them to the crimes.

The quartet had all pleaded not guilty, denying any involvement in the robberies. However, Magistrate Mpeiwa ruled that the prosecution had presented compelling evidence against Mukandawire.

He was found in possession of the complainant's iPhone 7 Plus, which had been stolen during one of the robberies. A witness at the former Ximex Mall testified seeing Mukandawire selling the phone.

"The accounts of these witnesses are part of the evidence adduced by the prosecution," said Mpeiwa.
"The cellphone was recovered through triangulation as shown in exhibit 2 before this court."

According to State prosecutor Tendai Tapi, the first robbery occurred on June 11, 2021, along Ridgeway in Highlands, Harare, where Mukandawire and his alleged accomplices robbed Funwell Mugonda of an Itel cellphone.

In the second incident, Mukandawire robbed John Kates of property valued at US$3,000.

Police arrested Mukandawire on September 16, 2021, and during interrogation, he reportedly implicated the others — though the court later found insufficient evidence to convict them.