Two armed robbers, who robbed passengers in a Beitbridge-bound bus of more than US$8 600 and R62 000 in cash in July, have been jailed for an effective 84 years each by the Chiredzi regional court.
Regional magistrate Ms Judith Zuyu jailed Ashton Siziba (26) of Peterwen, Mkwasine, Chiredzi and Phinias Shumba (25) of Dryhoek, Makhado in Beitbridge after finding them guilty of robbing more than 40 passengers who were traveling on a Blue Circle bus in the early hours of 18 July, this year.
The bus was carrying 45 passengers. Two members of crew and the two convicts posing as ordinary passengers were part of a four-man gang. Ms Zuyu jailed Siziba and Shumba at the end of a full trial due to overwhelming evidence. One of their accomplices Sauro Dadirayi (23 ) of Sitauze area in Beitbridge is already serving his sentence after being tried separately while the second accomplice remains unidentified and at large.
The State led by regional prosecutor in Chiredzi Ms Tanyaradzwa Tinago said on 17 July this year at around 9.45pm Shumba, Siziba, Dadirayi and their unknown accomplice boarded a Blue Circle bus in Harare posing as genuine passengers. The bus was heading to Beitbridge and they joined 51 other passengers.
At around 02.30am on 18 July at the 120km peg near Rutenga along the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway, Siziba who was wearing sunglasses signalled to the bus driver Mr Alex Takadiyi (42) of Overspill in Epworth that he had reached his destination and wanted to disembark. He told the driver that he had three colleagues among the passengers who had also reached their destination.
After the driver had stopped, Siziba pulled out a black pistol and ordered the conductor Taurai Mazvimba, who had opened the door for him, to get back onto the bus. Shumba, Dadirayi and their accomplice then stood up and produced okapi knives while ordering Mr Takadiyi to drive for about 500 metres into the bush. The driver was ordered to switch off the lights and Siziba, Shumba and their accomplices demanded and collected cash from 31 passengers who were on the bus and had money.
They other 10 had nothing. After the armed robbery, the four then ordered all the male passengers on the bus to lie down on their stomachs while all the females were ordered out of the bus. The gang then got into an unidentified vehicle that was parked behind the bus and sped off towards Beitbridge
Siziba, Shumba and Dadirayi were arrested after police received information that they had been spotted at Mapurisa Business Centre in Maranda and investigations led to the recovery of cash and the pistol used in the commission of the crime.
