Five guys from a machete crew just got off scot-free in Bulawayo. The court cut them loose because the evidence was a total mess. Mpho Ncube, Thabani Zondo, Thembalani Sibanda, Ashoton Ncube, and Shelton Ngwenya had been looking at robbery and property damage charges in the city's eastern burbs. Their lawyer, Tinashe Runganga, got the job done. Regional magistrate Archie Wochiwunga called the witnesses' stories completely unusable.
People said the group went on a spree back in July. The accusations were pretty wild. They supposedly went after Irvine Moyo in Parklands, wrecking his car. Other folks, like Sifundo Nkomazana and Lucky Dube, claimed the crew took their phones and stuff while waving machetes around. There were even home invasions mentioned, targeting Prince Dube and Tarisai Vutavunashe. Another alleged victim said they got jumped for their jacket at five in the morning.
But the whole case fell apart under scrutiny. The magistrate pointed out that the stories didn't match up at all. One person said a robbery happened near Mahatshula, another mentioned Killarney. Someone claimed an early morning attack, but only reported it much later. Wochiwunga basically said none of it added up to proof. With nothing solid to go on, he had to acquit them. The ruling left the people who made the accusations pretty shocked, and it's got the local community side-eyeing the whole system.
People said the group went on a spree back in July. The accusations were pretty wild. They supposedly went after Irvine Moyo in Parklands, wrecking his car. Other folks, like Sifundo Nkomazana and Lucky Dube, claimed the crew took their phones and stuff while waving machetes around. There were even home invasions mentioned, targeting Prince Dube and Tarisai Vutavunashe. Another alleged victim said they got jumped for their jacket at five in the morning.
But the whole case fell apart under scrutiny. The magistrate pointed out that the stories didn't match up at all. One person said a robbery happened near Mahatshula, another mentioned Killarney. Someone claimed an early morning attack, but only reported it much later. Wochiwunga basically said none of it added up to proof. With nothing solid to go on, he had to acquit them. The ruling left the people who made the accusations pretty shocked, and it's got the local community side-eyeing the whole system.
