MASHWEDE Holdings lost over US$100 000, R42 000 and $14 000
worth of fuel coupons to five workers and nine suspected robbers, who ransacked
safes at the premises before vanishing with two firearms and 20 live rounds of
ammunition.
The gang allegedly destroyed the closed-circuit television
(CCTV) to conceal the offence. Among the alleged five workers were two brothers
related to the complainant, while two
are security guards.
Christopher Mashamhanda (19), Edson Mashamhanda (28),
Nevanji Madanhire (27), Dudzai Chidangwara (42) and Martin Mutombwa (23),
appeared before magistrate Mrs Victoria Mashamba on Tuesday charged with
unlawful entry.
They were freed on $1 000 bail each with stringent
conditions and were remanded to April 29.
Two of the suspected robbers have since been arraigned in
court. Conwell Kasambarare (28) appeared in court on Saturday, while Musafare
Mupamhanga appeared yesterday before magistrate Mrs Sharon Rakafa charged with
armed robbery.
They were remanded in custody and advised to apply for bail
at the High Court. Seven members of the gang are still at large.
The five hatched a plan to steal from Mashwede Holdings and
on March 31, Edson received keys for the vault safe from Madanhire, who had
been instructed by the complainant, Tendai Mashamhanda, to collect cash and
make certain payments.
After completing the payments, Edson allegedly deliberately
failed to deliver the vault keys to Tendai as per instructions and was
constantly giving excuses.
He reportedly told the complainant that he could not travel
from his house in Chitungwiza to his workplace to handover the keys due to the
21-day lockdown restrictions.
Edson later reportedly travelled to his rural home in
Masvingo on April 2, without returning the keys to the safe.
On April 4, Madanhire was allegedly sent by the complainant
to Mashwede Holdings to make further cash transactions. After completing the
task, the State alleges that Madanhire deliberately left two biometric security
doors, which give access to the vault, partially open for easy access by his
accomplices.
Later that day, Christopher arrived at Mashwede Holdings
pretending to be accessing the WiFi facility from the company offices.
The following day around midnight, he allegedly teamed up
with the security guards, Chidangwara and Mutombwa, who were manning the
company offices and managed to enter into the offices through the biometric
security doors which had been left partially open by Madanhire.
They allegedly opened a small safe that was mounted to the
wall and stole US$27 500, R42 000 and 14 000 Mashwede fuel coupons.
They further opened the vault door using a key they got
from Edson and opened three safes and stole US$98 000, a revolver firearm,
Tokerev pistol and 20 live rounds of ammunition.
In a bid to cover up the offence, the court heard that the
trio removed three safes from the vault and took them to the backyard where
they broke them using a hammer.
They also reportedly took the CCTV saver to the backyard
and destroyed it, before informing the complainant that there had been a
robbery at the offices.
Prosecutors, Mrs Nancy Chandakaona, Mr Lovemore Siyamunda
and Peter Kachirika represented the State. Herald
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