A knife-wielding man from Village 4, Bruton Farm in Matepatepa, Bindura, stole a top-of-the-range Toyota Hilux, cellphones and US$750 cash at a prayer mountain in Guruve, asked the owner to teach him how to drive it, before taking the vehicle to his village.
His brief stint with a good life came to a screeching halt
24 hours later, after police tracked him down.
Hillary Rambakupetwa (29) pleaded guilty to three counts of
robbery when he appeared before Bindura provincial magistrate Mr Tinashe
Ndokera.
In mitigation, Rambakupetwa advised people against envying
people’s beautiful possessions.
He was sentenced to five years in prison for the offence.
In his ruling, Mr Ndokera noted that the vehicle was intact
and several phones that were inside were recovered. He used US$600 out of the
US$750 cash that he stole.
The complainants were Fungai Chiyangwa (41), Felistas
Tirivavi (38) and Obert Zvirevo (18).
All three are related and are from Kwekwe.
Prosecuting, Ms Runyararo Chikaka said the incident
happened on April 10 this year at around 9am.
The three complainants went to Dandarecha mountain in
Guruve for prayers.
They used a Toyota Hilux, registration number AGA 3643,
belonging to Chiyangwa.
When they arrived at the mountain, Chiyangwa parked the
vehicle near a bush road, locked it and climbed the mountain with others.
The following day, at around 10am, Rambakupetwa, who was
also in the mountain, saw the trio and approached them.
He was dressed in an apostolic sect garment, pretending to
be a “prophet”.
He advised the complainants to buy some goods that he
allegedly wanted to use for a cleansing ceremony.
Later that day, at around midnight, Rambakupetwa approached
the complainants again, but he was no longer putting on the garment.
He told the complainants that Chief Negomo had summoned
everyone to another mountain to assist someone who was bitten by a snake.
The complainants
complied and after about an hour and half of walking, Rambakupetwa, who was in
front, turned and faced them.
He was holding a knife and threatened to kill them. He
demanded that they surrender all their valuables.
Out of fear, Chiyangwa surrendered her car keys, cell
phones and US$750, which was in her purse.
He ordered Chiyangwa to accompany him to the car while
Tirivavi and Zvirevo remained lying on the ground.
When they got to the vehicle, Rambakupetwa tied Chiyangwa’s
hands on her back using tree bark.
He covered her mouth with a cloth and ordered her to teach
him to drive the car.
After the “driving lesson”, Rambakupetwa tied Chiyangwa to
a tree by the roadside and drove off.
The vehicle had several cellphones and goods.
After about 30
minutes, Chiyangwa untied herself and went Tirivavi and Zirevo.
They reported the matter at ZRP Guruve. Detectives started
a search for Rambakupetwa and arrested him at Village 4, Bruton Farm in
Matepatepa on the following day.
The vehicle, all the cell phones and US$130 cash were
recovered.
The value of the stolen property was US$93 650. Herald
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