By Brenda Zinyuke
An inyanga-cum-prophet from Bulawayo and his two accomplices have appeared in court for allegedly stealing US$500 and property worth RTGS$6 000 armed with a pistol and disguised as police officers.
Robertson Khulekani Koti (29) of Nketa 8 suburb, Frond Mbiba (39) of Old Luveve suburb and Mthulisi Brighton Mpofu (39) of Emganwini suburb allegedly stole from Ms Sithokozile Sibanda (17) of Ntabazinduna Flats in Makokoba suburb in the absence of her employer.
The stolen property includes a 55-inch Sonny plasma television set, a Samsung microwave, open view decoder, Dstv decoder, a laptop, two apple iPods, a gread v11t diagnosis machine, a wrist watch, 8×2 litres of cooking oil, 8×2 kilogrammes Maq washing powder and a box of Koo baked beans.
The trio was not asked to plead to armed robbery when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Ulukile Muleya-Ndlovu.
The magistrate remanded them in custody to November 4.
Koti is also being charged separately after he was allegedly found in possession of 1,9 metres of python skin worth $2 000, hedgehog skin worth $1 500 and a warthog tooth worth $ 1 000.
He was not asked to plead to possession of a specially protected animal trophy (python skin), possession of a hedgehog skin and tooth of a warthog charges when he appeared before the magistrate.
He was also remanded to November 4 on the charges.
Prosecuting, Mr Mufaro Mageza said on October 2 this year at around 10AM, Ms Sibanda was at home when she was approached by Koti and his accomplices.
“The accused persons who were armed with a gun and handcuffs introduced themselves as police officers and asked where the owner of the house was,” he said.
Upon realising that she was alone, the men allegedly forced the girl into a bedroom where they covered her with a blanket before ransacking the house and stealing property.
Koti and his accomplices allegedly packed the property into a Toyota vehicle they had hired.
The matter was reported to the police and investigations were carried out leading to the trio’s arrest.
Police allegedly recovered two iPads, two wrist watches and one decoder in Mbiba’s house.The television and the microwave were recovered in Magwegwe suburb at a pawn broker.
A diagnosis machine was also recovered.
The firearm used in the offence was not recovered.
Property worth RTGS$ 4 000 was recovered.
Searches were also conducted at Koti’s house where detectives recovered a blue travelling bag in his bedroom which had the python skin, a hedgehog skin and a warthog tooth.
Koti failed to account for the recovered items leading to his arrest. The Chronicle
