THREE men have recently appeared before a Harare court on charges of robbing a service station and a school in the city. Washington Musindo, Tinashe Tagwireyi, and Lameck Magaya faced allegations of robbery as they stood in front of Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa. The court remanded them in custody until November 3, pending trial. The defendants were informed that only the High Court could consider a bail application for this particular type of crime.
According to the State’s case, on October 11, the three accused individuals, along with unidentified accomplices who remain at large, armed themselves with a pistol, metal bars, bolt cutters, and explosives. They proceeded to Budiriro 1 shops in Harare, where they targeted a Total Service Station. The gang forcefully restrained both a security guard and a petrol attendant, threatening them with violence if they refused to comply with their demands. The victims were then tied up using cables from mobile phone chargers.
During the incident, the robbers searched the fuel attendant and stole his Itel AS8 phone, US$4, and $4,000. They then proceeded to the director’s office, where they stole a Lenovo laptop and two DVR devices. Discovering a set of keys in a drawer, they unlocked a safe and made off with US$6,000. The gang managed to escape and none of the stolen items, which amounted to a total value of US$6,200, were recovered.
In a separate incident on September 26, Musindo and unidentified accomplices armed with a pistol, bolt cutters, metal bars, and explosives targeted Westlea Primary School. Two security guards on duty were ambushed and forced into one of the classroom blocks, where they were kept under guard. Meanwhile, other members of the gang broke into the administration block, blasting open the safe in the head’s office. They made off with US$1,932 in cash, an HP Core i7 silver laptop, two HP Envy laptops, an HP Laserjet Pro MFP printer, a Cadac 45-liter cooler box, an AFM solar Digimark, 62kg of beef, 30kg of chicken drumsticks, an HP laptop Core iS, and two LED solar lights. While only US$1,200 was recovered, the total value of the stolen items amounted to US$8,088.
Lastly, on September 27, Musindo and his accomplices, who remain at large, targeted Rukudzo Primary School in Kambuzuma Section 3, Harare. The gang assaulted a security guard, restraining him by tying his hands and legs with shoelaces. They proceeded to rob him of US$4 before attempting to blast open the safe in the headmaster’s office. Despite their efforts, they failed to access the contents of the safe. The robbers settled for a small cashbox, which contained US$404, an Acer laptop, and an assortment of groceries. The blast caused damage to the office property. The total value of the stolen goods in this incident was US$1,075, and nothing was recovered.
The arrests of Musindo, Tagwireyi, and Magaya shed light on a wave of robberies targeting service stations and schools in Harare. The brazenness of the crimes, which involved the use of weapons and explosives, has raised concerns among residents and authorities alike. With several accomplices still at large, the investigation is ongoing, and the defendants will remain in custody until their trial at the High Court.
