A 38 year old man has been slapped with a 12 year prison term after he was convicted by the Karoi Magistrates Court on charges of armed sending a strong message against violent crimes including robbery which have been on the rise in recent times.
On Saturday the 7th of October 2023 the accused person Arnold Dzuda Gunguwo acting in connivance with his accomplice only known as Shepherd who is still at large hatched a plan to rob the complainant. Pursuant to their plan, the accused person’s accomplice hired the complainant to ferry him from Karoi to Chinhoyi for USD20. Along the way the complainant picked up the accused person. Upon reaching the 175km peg, Harare- Chirundu highway, the accused person’s accomplice requested for a bathroom break. He went to the bush and when he returned both the accused person and his accomplice attacked the complainant and threatened him with a Star Pistol. They ordered the complainant to occupy the front passenger’s seat before driving off towards Chinhoyi. The complainant jumped out of the moving vehicle as the accused person and his accomplice sped away.
The complainant sought assistance from a well wisher and he called the owner of the motor vehicle who mobilized other villagers and came in his lorry to look for the accused person and his accomplice. They found the accused person and his accomplice at Chikuti Business Centre and when they saw that they had been identified the accused person and his accomplice sped off in the motor vehicle. The complainant and his posse gave chase and only caught up with them when the motor vehicle developed a mechanical fault. The accused person’s accomplice managed to escape whilst the accused person was apprehended by the villagers.