When she entered the house, the five men, who were in the company of others still at large, broke the kitchen window and the burglar bar with an ax to gain entry.

FIVE people appeared before a Harare magistrate last week charged with three separate counts of armed robbery.

Talkmore Masanga (45), Tafadzwa Kupeta (27), Rashid Adam Chipanga (30), Stephen Mahachi (51) and Wonder Matope (42) allegedly used guns and axes to intimidate the victims before steal cash, electronic goods and other valuables.

Prosecutor Anesu Chirenje told Harare Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa that on count one, the complainant, Elemencia Mbito (50), of Manyame Park, St Mary’s, Chitungwiza, drove home his Honda Fit motor vehicle.

When she entered the house, the five men, who were in the company of others still at large, broke the kitchen window and the burglar bar with an ax to gain entry.

They allegedly pointed guns at Mbito and ordered him to lie on the ground.

They stole $1,500 from him.

They allegedly searched the house, stole his cell phones and car keys, then threw the cell phones under the motor vehicle.

They took with them an external battery and a Samsung cell phone.

For the second charge, Memory Mudzongachiso (43), of Hopley Zone 6, Harare, was sleeping in her bedroom and was awakened by a loud bang against her dining room window.

When she woke up to investigate, she was confronted by the defendants who were armed with two guns and an axe.

They pointed their guns at her and ordered her to lie on the ground, after which they tied her hands and legs with shoelaces.

They stole $8,400 in cash from him.

The accused allegedly fired three shots into the air to scare people before leaving.

It is further alleged that the accused also attacked Tendero Nyamundaya of Hopley Zone 6 who was sleeping in her room with her husband Linance Shambare.

The two were awakened by a loud noise coming from her bedroom window.

The accused pointed guns at the couple while demanding money, before seriously assaulting the complainant’s husband with an ax and robbing them of US$600.

They allegedly ransacked the house and stole an external battery.

The robbers fired three shots into the air to scare people who had gathered in front of the complainant’s yard before fleeing.

Chirenje told the court that on October 21, CID Homicide Harare detectives gathered information that the accused were involved in theft cases in and around Harare and Chitungwiza.

The court heard that on October 22 this year, detectives arrested the defendants for robbery, which led to the recovery of a Walther P38 pistol with a defaced serial number loaded with an empty magazine.

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