By Investigative Reporter- One of the armed robbers whose picture is circulating on social media is a dangerous criminal who was born and bred in Kadoma, ZimEye has learnt.
A source who claimed he knows Wonder Mahuni told ZimEye that the man is his former schoolmate.
He said:
“This man (Wonder Mahuni) was my schoolmate atTafadzwa primary school. He was once in jail before he was released and he came back to Kadoma. As of now, i am not sure of his whereabouts but he is no longer staying in Kadoma. He is very dangerous. But what i can confirm is that he was born and bred in Rimuka, Kadoma.”
Mahuni is one of the five armed robbers who pounced on a Boundary Express Coach at night between Mvuma and Mushagashe tollgate early Monday morning. The robbers beat up an estimated 40 passengers aboard the bus before they stabbed some of the passengers leaving one of them seriously injured and battling for life.
Mahuni’s picture circulated online since Tuesday with netizens confirming that Mahuni is a well known robber who’s been handed ZRP uniform to commit crimes, before.
ZimEye can exclusively reveal that Mr Wonder Mahuni has several robbery cases dating back to 2015 and which involve decorating selves in police uniforms to commit robberies.
ZimEye reveals that Mahuni is supposed to be prison and yet picture footage show him allegedly roaming freely a few hours after the violent attack of about 40 travellers aboard a Beitbridge bound Boundary Bus on Sunday night. The development means he could have been released early through either political or other corrupt means.
In Sept 2019 Wonder Mahuni was on remand, before being sentenced for 3 years for armed robberies committed in 2018.
He also has another case opened after in the company of police officers and others, they were caught in police uniforms and one of them holding an official service pistol to commit a robbery in Waterfalls, Harare, in October 2015.
In 2019, Mahuni and 5 others were charged with robbing a Bulawayo man at gunpoint of R170 000, US$12 000, RTGS$10 000 and other valuables, ZimEye reveals.
In November last year, Mahuni applied for bail at the High Court but Justice Erica Ndewere denied him.
ZimEye is investigating how Mahuni is suddenly on the streets when he is supposed to be serving his 3 year sentence, and Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi was still to comment at the time of writing.
Mahuni’s gang of accomplices is at total six, which figure matches that reported by a female traveler in an audio revealed by ZimEye on Monday.
The gang comprises: Pious Ncube (42) of Cowdray Park suburb, and five others Tendai Dzoma, Ronald Chigwida, Christopher Danda, Peter Mushipe and the man cited in the Mvuma picture, Wonder Mahuni.
ZimEye investigates.
Meanwhile, a source cited by ZimEye on Monday narrated her ordeal in the following lines:
Sunday Evening Attack
Good morning to you God’s people. I’ve encountered a problem: I came from Bindura last night, and got to Mbudzi at just after 8pm.
I boarded the bus called Boundary from Mbudzi traveling back to Beitbridge. This bus’ operators announced they are going for recess at Mvuma. When they got to Mvuma people got their foods and so forth.
After that, while we were inside the bus as we were approaching the tollgate, it emerged there were several armed robbers on the bus, numbering up to 6. They had guns and they had knives; and they redirected the bus into the nearby bush. They kept going, to the driver ordering him to turn this way and that way. They were ordering the driver to follow a certain soldier. The bus had traveled a bit into the forest when it was ordered to switch off its lights.
At that point, everyone was searched. We were beaten up. We got sprayed on, on our eyes. We got sprayed from around 1pm. Up to now it is after 2 and our eyes are still itching badly having been sprayed on. Up to now we are still feeling the pain, since others were stabbed.
The armed men were pointing a gun at anyone forcing them to release money.
After that they repeated their search. If you say you don’t have money you will be punished with beatings. It was so difficult today on the 21st June. And these men it seems they began began their plot back in Mbudzi in Harare, where they also got into this bus.
They were also being followed by a small car behind us. When we had turned into the bush, the car that was following us from behind then followed on, it parked outside and these people began searching us. After they began searching they punctured one of the tyres and quickly left.
We then traveled out of the bush. We got up to the tollgate. After leaving the tollgate, 5 km between there and Masvingo, that’s when the bus started moving on its rim; and the driver tried to control the bus. It was now traveling on its rim. Right now we are here where the breakdown happened. We rang the police station; they haven’t responded. There are people here who are bleeding who are still to be checked.
2019 cases.
The below is a summary of the group’s 2019 cases:
On the first count the state tried them over revelations that on August 8 2018 in Borrowdale around 6pm, a female complainant was in her kitchen when the accused people together with their accomplice Edmore Ronald Chigwada, Christopher Danda, Terrance Nyakudyara and Joseph Hazvinei, currently on remand, forced their entry into a house.
They manhandled the complainant and threatened to kill her if she raised alarm.
They demanded cash from the complainant and out of fear she surrendered RTGS$8, R200, US$300 and Samsung S9.
They took the accused to her bedroom and ordered her to cover her head with a blanket so that they can search for other valuables.
They took two television sets, suitcases and bed sheets and they escaped.
Count two states that on October 2 2018 in Vainona, Harare at around 6pm the complainant was in the kitchen doing her dishes when the accused people and their accomplices who are already on remand climbed over the wall and went straight into the kitchen.
They manhandled the accused and took two HP laptops, RTGS$85, ‘Pad, ‘Phone 6 and jewellery valued RTGS$5 919.
On count three allegations are that on March 14, 2019, in Hatfield around 8pm the complainant arrived at his residence driving his Toyota Prado and stopped at his gate.
When he was about to open the gate the accused people fired a shot and it hit him on his right hand middle finger and he fell down.
They manhandled the complainant and went on to knock at his door claiming to be police officers and ordered his wife to open the door.
While inside the house they demanded safe keys and forced the complainant’s wife to go and get the safe keys in the car.
When they got the safe keys they opened the safe and stole US$10 000, RTGS$3 500, R15 000, 9mm Star Pistol with a magazine of 8 rounds live ammunition, ‘Phone cell phone, Samsung S3 and Samsung 05.
The accused people ordered the complainant and his wife to lie on the floor and tie their hands and legs.
They took the complainant’s car which they later dumped in Chitungwiza.
Count four and five allegations are that on March 26 2019 in Tynwald South around 7pm, the complainant arrived at his house and he was confronted by the accused people and their accomplices who are on remand.
The complainant fired in the air to scare the accused but they responded by shooting the complainant on the right hand.
They manhandled the complainant, disarmed him and forced him to get into the house.
Whilst in the house they fired three shots before they shot the house maid on her left thigh.
They held hostage of everyone in the house and threatened to kill anyone who resisted.
They took US$40 000, R13 000, 2 000 bond coins, Samsung Galaxy J6Pro, Samsung Galaxy Note 5, ‘Phone 6, two gate remote controls and two car keys.
They failed to drive complainant’s car and on exiting the compound they fired three shots in the air to scare the mob which was gathered around the scene and they escaped.
Allegations on count 6 are that on April 9 2019 at Eastlea around 7am the accused people and their accomplices who are on remand armed with knives entered the house through the complainant’s kitchen door.
While in the house they grabbed the house maid and threatened to stab her.
They tied her hands and took various jewellery, 32 inch television set, a suitcase with clothes.
Around 2pm the complainant came back home from work and upon entry into the house she was pointed with a knife and they threatened to kill her if she resisted their demands.
She surrendered the hand bag and they took US$300, RTGS$1 000, 38 Special revolver and car keys.
They took the complainant’s car and drove away.
On count 7 allegations, on March 3 in Waterfalls around 8pm the accused people together with their accomplices who are on remand armed with knives entered the complainant’s yard and fired a shot in the air to instill fear.
They went on to manhandle the complainant and physically assaulted him demanding cash.
In a state media report, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has however said it was going to arrest and prosecute the crew of the Boundary Express coach for contravening Covid-19 regulations.
Some of the people were hospitalised at Masvingo General Hospital after they were stabbed by the gang who commandeered the Beitbridge-bound bus and robbed passengers of more than US$15 980, R31 340 and $2 510.
Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told the state media that charges had been preferred on the crew, who for a start was driving at night in defiance of the lockdown, and warned transport operators against violating national lockdown regulations as they risk being arrested and prosecuted.
“The Beitbridge Border Post is still closed for the public and there is no need for people to board such buses.”
Asst Comm Nyathi said it was worrying to note that some of these operators were also assisting smugglers, among other criminal activities. The police had intensified measures to curb violations of national lockdown regulations.
The Boundary Express coach left Mbudzi roundabout in Harare around 9pm and two of the unidentified armed robbers carrying knives, pistols and machetes had boarded at the same time when it set out for Beitbridge. The other three climbed aboard when the bus stopped at a food court.
Some of the victims note that a small vehicle was following behind the bus and was used as a getaway vehicle after the robbery.
Besides sustaining deep cuts all over their bodies, some of the passengers were thoroughly beaten up by the suspects who got away with cash and other valuables after ordering the bus driver to move into the bush and switch-off the lights.
The passengers were also sprayed in the eyes with an unknown liquid before the robbers left in the small vehicle after deflating one of the bus tyres. The driver had to drive the bus to Masvingo with a deflated tyre so that those injured could get assistance.
Asst Comm Nyathi said once all five robbers in the gang were aboard, one robber produced a gun and ordered the driver to drive into a dusty side road where they robbed all the passengers, threatening and using knives to get all available cash.
“One of the passengers who was being talkative or resisting was dragged out of the bus and stabbed. He was left unconscious before the robbers disappeared,” Asst Comm Nyathi said.
He urged transport operators to ensure the security of their passengers and to also obey the national lockdown regulations by avoiding moving during the night.
-additional reporting from the state media