81 years behind bars for serial armed robbers

HARARE - A 26-year-old robber will spend 21 years in prison while his four accomplices will serve 15 years each behind bars after a Harare Court convicted them on two counts of robbery, two of attempted murder and theft of a motor vehicle.

The gang was in the habit of waylaying motorists whose cars would have developed mechanical faults or run out of fuel. They had the audacity to steal a bible from one of their victims.
However, one of the mobile phones they had stolen gave them away after the police tracked it.

Regional magistrate Mr Hoseah Mujaya sentenced Tichaona Takwana (25), Isaiah Chikato (24), Stanford Chumbu (26), Patrick Matukanzvimbo (26) and Forget Chinzawira (26) to 19 years in prison.

He, however, set aside four years for each term on condition of good behaviour but Matukanzvimbo, who has a previous conviction, was not so lucky when the Court brought into effect two years which were previously set aside on his previous conviction, leaving him with 21 effective years to serve.