A businessman who has been on the run since December last year accused of hijacking the daughter of former Vice President Joice Mujuru at gunpoint has been arrested.
Tatenda Answerlin Tsvuura, 24, the director of Exceptional Energy Limited, appeared in court last Saturday charged with vehicle theft.
He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to October 11 pending his trial.
His accomplice Longman Maridadi, who worked as a chauffeur in South Africa, is already on remand.
The court heard that on December 17 last year, Kumbirai Rungano Mujuru, in the company of her friend Tamuka Kelvin Keche, was driving in Harare and later parked her Mercedes Benz at the corner of Third Street and Josiah Chinamano Avenue.
Tsvuura and Maridadi, the court heard, had been following the pair in their vehicle with a plan to steal the Mercedes valued at $42,000.
When Kumbirai parked her vehicle, the two men pounced on her armed with pistol and threatened to shoot her, said Peter Kachirika, prosecuting.
The pair took control of the vehicle and drove to Kuwadzana where they topped up fuel worth $70 using Keche’s credit card.
Still holding Kumbirai and Keche captive, they drove to Lake Chivero where they tied the pair to a tree and left them stranded at around midnight.
Kumbirai and her friend later managed to untie themselves and filed a police report.
Mujuru’s car was found parked at one Rosemary Svosve’s place of residence and upon being interviewed, she told police that Tsvuura and Maridadi had left the car.
Maridadi was arrested after the police received a tip off that he was going to move the car from Svosve’s place to South Africa. A trap was set and he was arrested.
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