Story by Peter Chivhima, Courts Reporter
FOUR family members comprising a woman and her three children, are in the dock in connection with a spate of armed robbery cases in and around Harare.
It is rare for a whole family to be linked to criminal activities but it is the case for one family that resides in Glaudina, Harare.
Martha Hove and three grown-up children, Milton Mukumba, Hazvineyi Joseph and another only identified as Chigwida, are facing armed robbery charges following their recent arrest.
Hove, Mukumba and Chigwida were the first to be arrested earlier this month, but Joseph escaped with wounds after an exchange of fire on the 8th of July.
The 27-year-old Joseph was however to be arrested the following day after detectives from the CID Homicide found him nursing gunshot woods at number 4068 in Glaudina.
Latest details which emerged at the Harare Magistrates Court on Saturday during Joseph’s initial appearance show that the armed robbery gang also had outsiders, one of them identified as Alfred Chitate Mangwiro who is still at large.
According to court papers, the gang committed several crimes including robbing one, John Dzombe at Snake Park Suburb in Zvimba of his properties before using his car as a gateway vehicle.
The court also heard that the accused also robbed Mollen Tichareva of his car, cash and property on the 18th of June in Glaudina.
It emerged that the gang allegedly tied Tichareva and his wife’s hands and severely assaulted them using a bolt cutter, while demanding cash.
The accused persons were remanded in custody and advised to approach the High Court for bail and will be back at the Harare Magistrates Court on the 26th of this month.
