A 29-year-old man from Chitungwiza has been sentenced to three years and eight months in prison after a dramatic robbery in which he held two women at knifepoint and made off with cash and mobile phones.
Providence Shumba of Unit P, Seke, was convicted by Chitungwiza magistrate Dennis Mangosi following overwhelming evidence presented by state prosecutor Shamiso Charmaine Mwapangira.
The court heard that on the evening of 25 June, around 6:30pm, Shumba stormed into a shop at Zvipoto Shops in Unit O where EcoCash agent Tafadzwa Gwiti and her friend Loveness Muswe were counting money.
He first demanded money from Gwiti who complied and handed over US$180. When he turned to Muswe and she hesitated, Shumba brandished a knife and pointed it at her chest, threatening her into submission.
He then forced both women to blindfold themselves with cloths before going behind the counter to steal an additional US$560 belonging to Muswe.
Shumba also grabbed three mobile phones—a Huawei Smart, an Itel A50C and another handset along with a collection of Econet and NetOne airtime recharge cards and a small brown bag.
After ordering the victims to uncover their faces, he fled the scene.
But their cries for help quickly attracted attention from the public. Several members of the community including local touts, gave chase.
In the course of the pursuit, Shumba dropped the Itel A50C phone which was later identified as belonging to a third person Tonderai Katema.
He was eventually caught and subdued by the crowd before being handed over to police.
