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Fungai Lupande Mashonaland Central Bureau

The case of Bindura lawyer Elatone Bonongwe, who is accused of masterminding a robbery will now be tried at the High Court after his co-accused employed ‘delaying tactics’ yesterday.

The trial was set for yesterday but failed to kick off after Bonongwe’s co-accused said they wanted more time to engage their lawyer and prepare a defense case.

Bonongwe was the only accused represented by lawyer Mr Prince Ganya.

The development follows the State’s decision to use one of the accused persons, Raby Ngwena as its State’s star witness after dropping charges against her.

Ngwena was supposed to be the first to give the court her account of what transpired on that day.

Meanwhile, the other accused, Terrence Musingwini of New Mabvuku, was arrested on other charges in Harare where he is in custody.

Bonongwe is accused of masterminding a robbery at the house of Engineer Emson Chitsungo of Pfura Rural District Council in Mt Darwin.

He is jointly charged with his uncle Musa Gandi whom he once represented in a robbery case at Bindura Magistrates Court.

The other accused are Agnes Kunaka (41), Tafadzwa Obrey Chipashu (35), and Justin James (56).

The court heard that on October 15, 2023, Bonongwe hatched a plan to rob Eng Chitsungo and Gandi over the cellphone informing him of this plan.

Bonongwe subsequently tasked Gandi to assemble a team to carry out the mission.

On 25 October, 2023, the accused teamed up with Munýaradzi Denga, one Tsano, and travelled from Harare to Mt Darwin in a Toyota Sienta registration number AGD 3196.

Chipashu was driving and the team was armed with two sharp iron bars and an AK 47 bayonet knife.

It is alleged that throughout the journey, accused Gandi would update Bonongwe on their location.

Upon their arrival at a service station in Mt Darwin, the accused met up with Bonongwe who briefed them on the task and led them to Eng Chitsungo’s house.

The court heard that on October 26, 2023, at around midnight, the team went to the complainant’s house where four of them scaled a precast wall.

Some of them remained in the car which was parked about 100 metres away from the house.

After gaining entry into the yard, the accused persons encountered Tinotenda Bhunu whom they hit with pavement brick and undressed and tied both his hands and legs at his back with a wire and shoelaces before assaulting him with iron bars.

It is alleged that they carried him to the kitchen door and covered him with a room mat.

After breaking down the kitchen door, the accused went to a room where Irene Jongi and Yolanda Nyamujara were sleeping.

The robbers took their cellphones and force-marched the pair into the corridor and forced them to lie down facing down.

One of the accused went to Ethan Chitsungo’s (13) bedroom assaulted him and forced him to lie down in the corridor.

It is alleged that two of the accused persons entered Eng Chitsungo’s bedroom where they forced him to lie on the floor facing downwards.

They tied both his hands and legs at his back with a wire and started demanding money.

It is alleged that the complainant had US$400 and the accused started assaulting him with a sharp iron bar on his collarbone, his back, and his feet.

He was hit with booted feet several times on his face. They then plugged in an electrical iron and started burning his buttocks.

The other accused persons started ransacking the house.

They fled with valuables and cash worth about US$30,000.

Bhunu managed to untie himself and sneaked out of the house through a window.

He went to the police who arrived after the accused had fled the scene.

The accused were apprehended at a roadblock in Mazowe on their way to Harare.