Five men are facing charges of conspiracy to commit m_rder, allegedly hired by a Harare businessman to k!ll his partner following a dispute. The accused, Moses Monde (37), Malvin Manzinde (30), Malvin Tatenda Nyamuranga (33), Norbert Muponda (45), and Joshua Mapuranga (41), appeared before Harare Magistrate Stanford Mambanje on Friday and were remanded in Harare Remand Prison pending a bail hearing on March 25.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the complainant Oliver Tendai Chipindu had entered into an agreement with O’brien Mapurisa to purchase Liquified Petroleum Gas tankers worth US$800,000. However, Chipindu faced difficulties obtaining the necessary paperwork for the purchase, as Mapurisa allegedly evaded his requests. Eventually, Chipindu discovered that Mapurisa had not paid any money other than the US$132,000 deposit.
When Chipindu tried to make alternative arrangements to obtain the tankers from Turkey, Mapurisa, feeling betrayed, allegedly hired the five accused hitmen, who were based in South Africa, to kill Chipindu. The hitmen were provided with Chipindu’s photo and residential address in Mt Pleasant.
The accused armed themselves and traveled to Zimbabwe in early March but failed to locate Chipindu, who was out of the country. They returned to South Africa to re-strategize with Mapurisa. Chipindu learned of the plot upon his return to Zimbabwe when informed by a friend.
Chipindu and his friend lured the five accused back to Zimbabwe, where they were arrested after booking lodging in Avondale. However, their lawyer, Moffat Makuvatsine, argued against their remand, citing insufficient evidence linking them to the conspiracy.
The court will rule on the remand application when the five accused return to court.
Source Byo24news
