INCREASE GUMBO
MIRROR REPORTER

CHIREDZI – A robber who tried to entice a barlady at Neshuro Business Center in Mwenezi with US$5 000 he had just stolen from passengers in a Blue Circle Bus will rue his action forever as he will serve 84 years in prison for armed robbery.
After the robbery, Saul Dadirayi (23) showed a piston to a barlady before opening a bagful of money. The girl tipped Police leading to the arrest of Dadirayi, a few hours after the robbery.
Regional Magistrate, Judith Zuyu last week sentenced sent Dadirayi to 84 years in jail for the robbery.
The State said Dadirayi, together with three accomplices robbed passengers of US$5 932, ZAR66 170 and other goodies. He pleaded guilty before Magistrate Zuyu.
Dadirayi of Chief Sitauze, Zezani Beitbridge’s suspected accomplices, Talent Mlaudzi (20) also of Chief Sitauze, Zezani Beitbridge; Ashton Siziba (26) of Peterwen Mkwasine, Chiredzi and Phineas Shumba (25) of Dryhoek, Makadho Beitbridge who is employed by Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) at Inkomo Barracks in Harare pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody to September 11 for continuation of trial.
The fourth accomplice, Elphase Magugudze is still at large.
On July 17, 2024 the five went to Harare and left Magugudze at Vilivili Bus Stop near Rutenga. In Harare, the four boarded a Blue Circle Bus at Mbudzi back to Beitbridge and paid US$8 each.
On July 18, at around 4am when the bus reached Vilivili, Shumba approached the conductor and advised him that he wanted to disembark at the bus stop.
Magugudze who was at the terminus then boarded the bus armed with a C75 9mm pistol and handed it to Siziba was in the bus and he pointed at the driver and ordered him to pull off the road and go to a secluded place.
He then ordered the driver to switch off the lights.
Mlaudzi and Dadirayi produced okapi knives and joined Siziba to rob all passengers of their money and goods.
After robbing them they disembarked, fired some shots in the air and disappeared.
On the same day, Siziba, Dadirayi and Shumba were arrested after a bar lady at Neshuro Business Centre in Mwenezi tipped the police when Shumba tried to win the bar lady’s heart by showing her a pistol and large sums of money in the bag.
The trio was intercepted by Police and a pistol with 2 rounds of live magazine was recovered together with Blue Circle Bus tickets and some money.
Mlaudzi arrested the following day while Mugugudze is still at large.
Only ZAR 7000 and US$550 was recovered.
Tanyaradzwa Tinago appeared for the state.