Tarisai Machakaire
STAFF WRITER
machakairet@dailynews.co.zw
A GANG of five suspected armed robbers that allegedly pounced on Corpas Christ High School and held students hostage before stealing funds from the safe have appeared in court.
Gift George Dandemutande, 27, Sydney Chimiti, 27, Prince Gawe, 25, Taurai Vincent Venge, 29, Calvin Gasura, 28, were denied bail and remanded to July 2, when they appeared before Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko.
They were being charged with armed robbery.
Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti alleged that on September 13 last year, Dandemutande was in the company of Mugove Chimuti, Shadreck Madzima, Irvine Musariri, Shadreck Kabanga and others who are still at large and went to Corpas Christ High School in Kuwadzana.
The court heard that Dandemutande and his accomplices were armed with a rifle and pistol, and scaled over the perimeter wall before confronting four students who were studying in a classroom.
They allegedly held the students hostage before pouncing on Ruzvidzo Wilberforce, a security guard who manned the premises.
They tied hands and legs of the students and Ruzvidzo before locating a safe in the administration block and carried it outside where it was opened using explosives.
Dandemutande and his team then stole US$8 500, $9 500, four laptops and six cell phones.
In an earlier incident, the robbers had attacked Sam Jere Chinkwesa and his wife Rachel at his residence.
Dandemutande and his gang pointed guns at the couple and demanded cash and valuables before forcing them into their house where they forcibly took US$1 065, 7 000R, $5 900, two cell phones and car keys to Chinkwesa’s Nissan Caravan which they used to flee from the scene.
The Nissan Caravan was later recovered dumped in town.