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Crime Reporter

Serial armed robber Alouis Nyamadzawo, who was jailed in 2019 but then released on bail pending appeal,will now serve  his effective nine-year sentence after he was rearrested this week .

He is set to be back in court to face trial on other robbery charges he committed while he was out on bail.

A Harare magistrate this week ruled that when he was released on bail pending appeal, Nyamadzawo disappeared and failed to meet his bail conditions, resulting in a warrant of arrest being issued.

Nyamadzawo (45) who is believed to have been operating with Carrington Marasha and Prince Makodza, among other accomplices led by Musa Taj Abdul, was arrested at his home in Dzivaresekwa on Monday.

Nyamadzawo was among 12 suspected armed robbers including two ex-policemen, who were released on bail at the High Court in 2019 but allegedly went on to commit a spate of robberies around Hararel.

Others who were being hunted down by police and have since been arrested are Conwell Kasambarare, Musafare Mupamhanga and Spicer Takawira

Decide Rice, Godfrey Josi, Elijah Temai Vumbunu, Leonard Huni, Fanuel Chikadaya, Peter Mushipe and ex-policemen Watson Magodhi (37) and Ayanda Gumbo (28) are still being sought by police.

Most of the suspects have previous criminal records and some are already in custody while others were once arrested but disappeared after being granted bail by the courts.

This resulted in warrants of arrest being issued against them for violating bail reporting conditions by not turning up on their remand dates.

Nyamadzawo appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody to July 14 for another trial. 

Police said Nyamadzawo will also now serve the remaining eight years of his effective nine-year jail term that he had appealed against before being released on bail and then disappeared. A warrant of arrest had been issued to that effect. 

In one of the cases on October 4, 2019, Nyamadzawo, Carrington Marasha and their other accomplices went to Michael Tshuma’s house in Kambuzuma at around 1am while they were armed with a pistol.

They scaled a precast wall before forcing open the kitchen door to gain entry.

The robbers produced a pistol and ordered Tshuma to surrender cash and other valuables which included a Samsung A20 cellphone.

During the process, Tshuma is said to have managed to escape and alerted his neighbours. It is alleged that the robbers dropped a satchel containing four detonator fuse cables, four sticks of Emex explosive and a pair of pliers. They also dropped Tshuma’s cellphone while being chased by a mob.

Carrington Marasha and other accomplices managed to flee while Nyamadzawo was apprehended. On December 19, 2019, police arrested Carrington Marasha after he was implicated by Nyamadzawo. 

Nyamadzawo was subsequently sentenced to an effective nine years in prison but only served one year before he appealed and was released. He then went into hiding until he was arrested on Monday.

In 2014, Nyamadzawo was one of the three robbers who broke into the premises of Glad Tidings Church in Glen Norah B, Harare and stole a safe containing $30 000.

Harare magistrate Mr Hoseah Mujaya sentenced Prince Makodza and Alouis Nyamadzawo to seven years each while Knowledge Kamucheche (37) was sentenced to six years.

Mujaya suspended two years for each sentence and another one-and-a-half years for each on condition that the three gave back the money to the church.

Makodza and Nyamadzawo were expected to serve an effective three-and-a-half years while Kamucheche was to serve two-and-a-half years.

In September, 2016, five suspected robbers, including Nyamadzawo, stole $800 and raped a tenant at the Apostolic Faith Mission Church in Harare before stealing $12 000 from a Total service station.

At that time, Nyamadzawo was on bail pending appeal while his accomplices, Talent (30) and Shadreck Madzima (40) had completed their prison terms.

The other two, Edson Murambidzi (23) and Gift Mudamburi (40) had a pending robbery case.  In August 2016, Nyamadzawo teamed up with Daniel Jenje (33), Shadreck Madzima, Munyaradzi Chikaka, Prince Makodza and robbed a Total service station in Warren Park 1 of $12 000.