A Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officer attached to the
Presidential Guard, State House yesterday appeared at the Harare Magistrates
Court charged with burning a Zupco bus and stealing a motor cycle during the
recent nationwide protests economic hardships.
Takunda Lawrence Madamombe (22) pleaded not guilty to the
charge when he appeared before provincial magistrate Francis Mapfumo charged
alongside his two accomplices, Dennis Maguri (29) of Rydle Ridge Park and
Kudakwashe Gapare (22) of Whitecliff North, who also pleaded not guilty to the
charge.
It is the state’s case that on January 14, and at around
10am Madamombe and his accomplices together with 200 others still at large,
were at Whitehouse Shopping Centre along the Harare-Bulawayo Road where they
connived to engage in acts of public violence.
The state alleges that pursuant to their plans, they
barricaded roads with boulders, burnt tyres and threw missiles at the motoring
public after which they stopped a Zupco bus with registration number AEG 3955
which was proceeding to Harare.
It is the state’s case that they ordered the bus crew and
its passengers to disembark after which one Emmanuel Chari, who is already in
prison over the same matter, drove the bus and parked it about 40 metres away
from the main road where it was set ablaze.
The state further alleges the mob later proceeded to Puma
Service Station at the same shopping centre where they chased the employees
away, broke the doors and windows to the shop and looted all the groceries.
Madamombe, Maguri and Gapare are also alleged to have
joined their colleagues, who are still at large, and proceeded to set ablaze a
Mitsubishi pick-up truck which was parked at the service station and later
broke into a pharmacy where they looted all the drugs.
During the ensuing commotion, Madamombe is alleged to have
stolen a blue Yamaha 50 motorbike which was parked inside the service station.
He also allegedly stole various drugs from the pharmacy. Maguri and Gapare
allegedly stole a 12-volt car battery which they later sold to a commuter omnibus
driver for $60.
During investigations police recovered the motorbike and
some drugs from Madamombe’s spare bedroom in Whitecliff suburb. Standard
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