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Court Reporter
A HARARE woman yesterday appeared in court for hiring a gang to assault her two “rivals”, resulting in the death of one, a few days later.

Rebecca Masawi appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Barbra Mateko facing murder, kidnapping and robbery charges.

She is being jointly charged with Zvikomborero Zvikoni, Liberty Guruve and Tendai Dhai, whom she allegedly hired to attack the two women who were not named in State papers.

The quartet was not formally placed on remand and was left in the hands of the police, who applied for warrant of further detention, saying there were some indications they wanted before they are brought back to court today.

The State alleges that on July 31 at around 1am, the quartet, driving an unregistered vehicle, drove to their victims’ places of residence pretending to be police officers.

On arrival at one of the victims’ house, they force-marched her into their car while two others searched the house and took cooking oil, a gas tank and documents relating to Zebra Housing Cooperative.

From there, the hired gang reportedly drove to the late victim’s place where they knocked on the door and said they were police officers.

Upon opening the door, the gang reportedly blind-folded the two and drove to Lake Chivero where they assaulted them with iron bars, leaving them with broken legs and swollen faces.

They then allegedly dumped them and they were only rescued by people staying in the Kentucky area near Norton, who called police.

Police are said to have taken the two to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals before they were referred to Chitungwiza General Hospital, where one of the women was operated on and discharged on August 3.

She later died due to the injuries on September 7.

On September 26, detectives received information to the effect that Zvikoni was using the deceased’s cell phone and made a follow up.

He was arrested on the same day around 5pm and he allegedly admitted to having been hired by Masawi to commit the offences and reportedly implicated Guruve and Dhai.