The Zvishavane Magistrates’ Court has sentenced 23-year-old Obedience Takaedza Mutasa to an effective 15 years in prison after convicting him on two counts of armed robbery.
Mutasa was part of an armed gang that carried out a violent robbery at the Dyke Carbon Tech Elution Plant in Noelvale, Zvishavane, where an employee was attacked and cash and valuables were stolen.
The court heard that on March 19, 2026, Mutasa and his accomplices, who remain at large, went to the plant armed with a pistol, machetes and iron bars.
They overpowered an employee, tied him with cable ties and forced him into the main office.
The gang broke into the office and stole a Samsung S23 Ultra cellphone and US$4,000 in cash.
They later detonated explosives in an attempt to open a safe, but found it empty.
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Following the robbery, police received information linking the suspects to Gweru, leading to a shootout in which one suspect was killed while another was injured.
Mutasa managed to escape but was later arrested.
Investigations subsequently linked him to another robbery in Mberengwa, where a security guard was attacked and robbed of a cellphone and CCTV server equipment.
The total value of property stolen in the two incidents amounted to US$4,900. Some of the stolen property was recovered, together with an illegal firearm.
Mutasa was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on each count. Part of the sentence was suspended, leaving him to serve an effective 15-year prison term.
In passing sentence, the court considered the seriousness of the offences, particularly the use of weapons and violence against the victims.
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