Police have arrested three out four members of a notorious machete-wielding gang that besieged Geelong Mine in Gwanda before getting away with 13 200 South African Rands, US$10, gold deposits weighing two grammes and mobile phones.
Their other accomplice, only known as Abednigo, is still at large.
Appearing before Gwanda magistrate Lerato Nyathi charged with robbery, the trio of Tinashe Mudenda (22), Kinos Notice (25) and Shonai Dube (20) all from Binga, were not asked to plead and were remanded in custody to November 11.
The court heard that the criminal quartet which was armed with machetes, a wooden log and a sjambok, attacked two miners at around 2am on Monday this week.
Representing the state, Ethel Mahachi said after overcoming their victims, the four-member gang tied the miners’ hands and ran away.
As fate would have it, one of the miners managed to free himself and alerted the other miners who teamed up and pursued their attackers.
She said they managed to apprehend the now incarcerated trio along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road.
“On 26 October at around 2AM the three accused persons in the company of a fourth accomplice only known as Abednico went to Geelong 20 Mine while armed with machetes, wooden log and a sjambok and attacked Mr Simbarashe Mudzingwa while he was sleeping in his makeshift tent. They assaulted him with the machetes and sjambok while demanding cash and they took R1 200 and two cellphones. They tied his hands before fleeing the scene,” Mahachi told the court.
“They proceeded to Mr Emmanuel Chisari’s tent where they threatened and assaulted him.
They stole R12 000, US$10, two grammes of gold, two cell phones, tied his hands and fled from the scene. Mr Chisari and Mr Mudzingwa managed to free themselves and they alerted other miners who teamed up and pursued the accused persons.
file: machete gang infamously known as MaShurugwi
The local miners apprehended the accused persons while they were walking along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road while trying to flee,” she said.
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