A 21-year-old Harare resident, Tinashe Maruta, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for multiple crimes.
He received 20 years for each of two rap3 counts and 10 years for three robbery counts, with two robbery sentences running concurrently.
Maruta, alongside accomplice Frank Mafati (currently at Chikurubi Psychiatric Unit), targeted victims in Whitecliff, Zvimba, using a machete and pistol.
The stolen goods, valued at $95, included cellphones and cash. During his trial, Maruta claimed to have a medical condition that would cause the de@th of any woman he had s3x with.
However, medical reports contradicted this claim. Maruta and his accomplice, Frank Mafati, sought shelter in a shed on January 24, 2023, around 7:30 pm due to rain. Meanwhile, the complainant, who was returning from work, got off a commuter omnibus at White House in western Harare and took refuge at a nearby bus terminus close to a tuck shop.
She allegedly requested the tuck shop attendant for a plastic bag to hide her smartphone, which she was provided, and then chose to go home, where the two thi3ves followed her.
Around 200 metres from the bus stop, one of the two seized her handbag from behind, retrieved an unidentifiable weapon, and told her to proceed to a maize field, where they st0le her things and took turns r@ping her.
Regional magistrate Mrs. Estere Chivasa stated that the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence proving Maruta’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Ms. Heather Muwokoto successfully established the events surrounding the crime. Source: Herald.
