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Margaret Matibiri Herald Correspondent
A gang of six armed robbers that was targeting service stations, butcheries and wholesales and got away with close to $50 000 has appeared in court. Tinashe Jokonyo (33), Ravrage Chigagure (31), Farirai Brandy (29), Sifelani Brandy (41), Jeremiah Makaza (31) and Cephas Kamutamba (34) appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Rumbidzayi Mugwagwa facing 15 counts of armed robbery, one count of unlawful possession of explosives and another count of unlawful possession of a firearm.

The gang allegedly threatened security guards at gunpoint, assaulted them with crow bars and blew safes using detonators to access their loot. One of them, Jokonyo, is also facing two counts of armed robbery and one count of raping his victim. They were denied bail and remanded to February 14. They were told to apply for bail at the High Court.

Prosecutor Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that on January 14, 2016, at around 3.25am, the gang went to Changamire wholesale in Old Tafara armed with pistols, metal bars and detonators and found Taedzerwa Alias and Last Magamba guarding the shop.

Alias was alerted of the accused persons’ presence by a barking security dog and he quickly ran and hid behind some opaque beer crates. The gang proceeded to the guard room where they found Magamba sleeping after they had stoned the dog. It is the State’s case that the gang tied Magamba’s hands and legs with a rope and threatened to kill him if he did not disclose the whereabouts of Alias.

They assaulted him with iron bars and left him in a pool of blood from the serious head injuries he sustained. Two members of the gang remained behind guarding him while the rest proceeded to the wholesale.

The court heard that the gang forced open the doors with an iron bar, blasted open a safe using detonators and stole $27 576. Alias came out of hiding after the gang had left, freed Magamba and reported the matter to the police. The gang allegedly used the same method to commit all the offences.