Just as the notorious Masendeke family, the country has
seen another family of suspected serial armed robbers involving four siblings
from the Mupamhanga family believed to masterminding several robberies around
the country including the famous Mashwede Holdings robbery in Harare.leona
The name Masendeke used to hit the headlines before Edgar
Edmund Masendeke was hanged for murder 19 years ago after being convicted of
killing a prison officer during an escape attempt. In April 2013, his brothers
Elson, Edward and Ernest were accused of murder. Elson was arrested, while
Edward and Ernest went on the run.
Edgar was executed in 2002 after committing many crimes,
including murder and escaping from Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. When he
was captured, Edgar was accused of committing 38 sensational crimes ranging
from rape, attempted murder to murder and kidnapping. He pleaded guilty to all
of them.
Edgar further captivated the nation when he escaped from
Chikurubi Maximum Prison in November 1995 together with Elias Chauke, Stephen
Chidhumo, Pedzisayi Musariri and Marko Ngulube.
However, during the past few years, the Mupamhanga siblings
— Musafare, Liberty (29) Godfrey (27) and their sister Leona (33) all from
Hwedza — are a suspected criminal family. Most have been arrested on several
occasions before being released on bail pending appeal and then absconding.
Godfrey and Liberty are also alleged to be involved with
the suspected serial armed robber and gang leader Musa Taj Abdul (47), who was
finally arrested by a police crack team in Beitbridge last year after a fierce
gunfight. Taj Abdul and others suspected to be part of his gang were arrested
in dramatic fashion, with dog teams playing a leading role.
Liberty and Godfrey are already in remand prison awaiting
trial while Musafare and Leona are out on bail. Musafare has since gone into
hiding and police are looking for him after failed to turn-up at the court on
several occasions.
His other accomplice, Spicer Takawira also alleged to be
part of Musa Taj Abdul’s gang, is also on the run after he was released on bail
pending appeal. The two have also not been reporting on their bail conditions
set for them by the courts.
Musafare and Takawira have been issued with warrants of
arrest after failing to turn up in court on May 7 and April 28 this year and
their whereabouts are still not known.
Takawira of Highfield, Musafare Mupamhanga and Conwell
Junior Kasambarare (26) are alleged to be part of 10-member gang that raided
Mashwede Holdings on April 5 last year and got away with over US$100 000, R42
000, $14 000 worth of fuel coupons, firearms and 20 live rounds of ammunition.
Police said the two have more than five warrant of arrests
outstanding,warrant of arrests for the suspects were cancelled in unclear
circumstances.
Investigations have so far revealed that in 2019, Musafare,
Liberty and Leona were first arrested in the city after committing three cases
of unlawful entry and armed robbery targeting clothing, electrical gadgets and
gas shops.liberty
In one of the cases, the trio are suspected to have
attacked a reaction team form a local security firm after they had break into
one of the shops in the city before disappearing.Their lucky ran out however,
when a police crack team which was making a follow up of another armed robbery
case arrested Musafare, Liberty and Leona at a house in Glen Norah B. Police then
recovered some of the clothes and goods that had been stolen in some of the
shops in the city. They appeared in court and later released on bail.
However, before their trial commenced in March last year,
Musafare and Liberty went into hiding. The matter is still pending before the
courts and only Leona and Liberty are reported to have been attending the trial
case while Musafare has been on the run.
Musafare, Takawira
and their other accomplices then raided Mashwede Holdings.
Musafare was later arrested in Murambinda, Buhera where he
was staying with a girlfriend before he was transported back to the city. He
has however been in and out of prison after released on bail.
Sources close to the investigations have been expressing
concern over the manner in which some of these criminals are being granted bail
saying in most cases they would abscond trial to avoid the strong risk of a
long jail term.
“We are deeply concerned about such matters where when we
arrest a group of suspected armed robbers, some of them would apply for bail
pending appeal and later released leaving their accomplices in prison.
“It will take time because those who will be attending the
trial would in most cases be pointing fingers to the accused persons that had
been released,” said a senior police officer close to the investigations.
He urged the courts to ensure that these suspected armed
robbers should not be released until the matter is finalised. Also in most
cases, if such cases took long, witnesses will be frustrated and they end up
not attending the trials.
In August last year, Musafare Mupamhanga’s other
accomplice, Spicer Takawira was granted $250 000 bail by the High Court.
Takawira was asked to post the unusually high amount as bail after he failed to
provide surety in the form of an immovable property.
He first appeared before Justice Webster Chinamora in May
last year seeking bail on changed circumstances on the basis that his
co-accused, Cornwell Kasambarare, was granted bail by another judge.
In February, Spicer Takawira was also arrested on charges
of house breaking and theft. Takawira was arrested after he had gone to report
in fulfilment of bail conditions set when he was released on bail pending
appeal over other matters.
The arrest came after detectives from CID arrested
Takawira’s alleged accomplice, identified as Leo Mandaza (40) of Kuwadzana
Extension for a spate of unlawful entry and theft cases.
Mandaza is facing seven counts and he and four accomplices,
including Takawira and three others who are still at large, are accused of
targeting homes and premises in and around Highfield, Glen Norah and Workington
in Harare.
In July 2019, four suspected armed robbers, including
Kasambarare and Musafare Mupamhanga allegedly pounced on three men who were
parked in the Avenues area in Harare while counting their cash in a car and
went away with more than US$70 000, $1 600 bond and other valuables. The robbers,
went on a shopping spree and bought vehicles, allegedly using the stolen money.
Recently, law officer Arthur Bosha was accused of
consenting to bail for suspected armed robber Musafare Mupanhanga without
consulting his bosses.
In consenting to bail, Bosha is said to have disregarded
standard operating procedures of the Attorney General’s Office (Criminal
Division), which dictate that applications and bail alterations should be done
through the Area Public Prosecutor or the Public Prosecutor in Charge in
consultation with the Chief Law Officer.
According to basic procedures laid down in the November 16,
2020 all consents to bail by prosecutors are to be approved by their superiors.
Another, prosecutor Tapiwa Kasema was also arrested for
consenting to bail to four other notorious armed robbers including Taj Abdul. The
robbers were rearrested on other charges before they could be released on bail.
Herald
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