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Yeukai Karengezeka–Court Correspondent 

THE State yesterday objected to the release on bail of five suspected hitmen hired from South Africa to kill a Zimbabwean businessman.

The five were allegedly hired by an associate of the businessman after he failed to refund US$800 000 that had been advanced to him to pay for liquid gas tankers in Türkiye. 

Moses Monde (37), Malvin Manzinde (30), Malvin Tatenda Nyamuranga (33), Nobert Muponda (45) and Joshua Mapuranga (41) appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje charged with conspiring to commit murder.

Prosecutor, Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti told the court that they were abiding by the affidavit of the investigating officer, Tirivangani Madhibha, that if granted bail, the accused would not return to attend trial as they were not residents of Zimbabwe. 

Mr Mutsokoti added there is evidence extracted from the accused’s phones with chats explaining how they were planning to kill the complainant.

Evidence led in court indicates a high degree of planning and if released, there was a likelihood of them attacking the businessman at his house again.

The lawyer for the five, Mr Moffat Makuvatsine, challenged the State submissions, saying that it had failed to offer any evidence linking the five to the commissioning of the crime. 

He said that there is no evidence of alleged recovered firearms that were to be used to kill the businessman and the source of conspiracy was not given except for hearsay evidence.

Mr Makuvatsine submitted that the five were just victims of a vicious game between two business moguls.

The bail ruling will be given tomorrow.

The State alleged that in November 2022, Obrian Obert Mapurisa, who is still at large, entered into an agreement with businessman Mr Oliver Chipindu to buy seven liquified petroleum gas tankers in Türkiye worth US$800 000. 

In January this year, Mr Chipindu made a follow up with Mapurisa who was evasive.

Mr Chipindu then contacted the company in Türkiye that had been contracted to do the gas tankers and was informed that only a deposit of US$132 000 was paid.

He then contacted Mapurisa who confirmed that he had diverted the funds, but was going to pay for the tankers.  

The court heard Mr Chipindu then confronted Mapurisa asking for a refund, but he was evasive.

Then on February 28, Mr Chipindu travelled to Türkiye to try and talk to the Mimak Company to secure his tanks and was given time to pay the balance up to the end of March.

As an attempt to avoid being bothered by Mr Chipindu, Mapurisa hired the five to kill him. Mr Chipindu was not in the country at the time but later returned to Zimbabwe on March 11 and was informed by his friend that the accused persons had been hired from South Africa to kill him and he made a police report.

The following week, Mr Chipindu and his friend lured the five to come to Zimbabwe from South Africa and they came through and were arrested by police  in Avondale.