18 armed robbers jailed for more than 1,000 years after raid on Wicknell Chivayo’s in-laws
Eighteen men convicted over the armed raid on businessman Wicknell Chivayo’s in-laws have been sentenced to prison terms that add up to 1,179 years, with each offender ordered to serve an effective term of either 76 or 55 years.
The sentences followed a full trial before Harare regional magistrate Masaiona Shotgame, who convicted all 18 men after they pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case centred on a violent night raid at Alpha and Omega Farm in Marondera, where the gang stole cash, firearms, mobile phones, televisions and other property from residents and workers.
Nine of the men — Kelvin Murehwa, Peter Maramba Vhiya, Takudzwa Maisvoreva, Garikayi Shangwa, Temptations Gerald Dinhidza, Arnold Tafirei, Tawanda Mushayatu, Mike Mhaka and Shingirai Bhaureni — were each sentenced to an effective 76 years in prison.
The remaining nine — Obvious Mutaka, Kennedy Kuzvinzwa, Adonia Dhliwayo, Charles Chokera, Arnold M Mutinhidza, Stephen M Chakanetsa, Dave Saurombe, Taurai Mushawemhuka and Felix Marongedze — will each serve 55 years.
However, the court ordered a substantial portion of the sentences to run concurrently. The individual effective terms therefore remain 76 years for the first group and 55 years for the second.
The prosecution was led by Lancelot Mutsokoti. The case described a carefully organised attack that began shortly after midnight on March 18, 2025, when the men arrived at the farm armed with three rifles, two pistols, two bolt cutters, machetes and iron bars.
Their first targets were the security guards responsible for protecting the property. Petros Mabunhu, who was employed by DM Security, was confronted as the gang entered the farm. The court heard that the attackers beat him with iron bars while demanding to know where the other guards were stationed.
Medic Zhakata was also confronted and struck several times on the head with iron bars. The violence was used to force the guards to provide access to the farm and to prevent them from raising the alarm while the rest of the gang moved towards the main house.
The robbers then force-marched one of the guards to Gerald Muteke’s bedroom. Muteke was ordered to surrender money and valuables. He handed over US$18,000 in cash, a pistol loaded with eight rounds of ammunition and a Samsung S23 mobile phone.
The gang was not satisfied with the money found in the bedroom. They demanded to be shown the safe and moved through the house in search of further cash. On the way, they entered Vimbai Muteke’s bedroom and demanded money and the keys to the safe.
She surrendered US$1,100, a Chub safe key and a Samsung Galaxy A35 cellphone. The robbers then took her to the main bedroom, where she opened the safe. A further US$55,000 was taken from inside.
In a separate count, the gang targeted Cossam Siminya. They searched one room and stole a 49-inch Samsung television, an Itel power bank, an Itel S23 cellphone and US$700 in cash.
They then entered Siminya’s bedroom and removed US$10,000 from a wardrobe. An iPhone 14, a Tecno Spark 8 cellphone and various groceries were also taken. The men proceeded to the lounge, where they stole a 55-inch Samsung television.
The gang later went to a tuckshop on the property. There they confronted Bosco Chidukudze, who was severely assaulted before his cellphone was taken. A small container holding US$500 from tuckshop sales was also stolen during the raid.
The combined value of the cash and property taken in the two linked incidents ran into tens of thousands of United States dollars. The earlier account of the farm raid put the value of the stolen cash and valuables at US$74,600, while property worth about US$3,800 was later recovered. The separate attack on Siminya’s home was valued at US$13,220, with none of the stolen property recovered.
The attack at Alpha and Omega Farm also involved an exchange of gunfire. After being alerted to the robbery, Elphas Maruta, who was armed with a .303 rifle loaded with four rounds, moved towards the house. The court heard that Maruta fired two shots and that the suspects returned fire with three shots before fleeing the property.
The gunfire brought the raid to an end, but not before the gang had overpowered the security team, taken control of the main house and forced residents to hand over cash and valuables. The use of rifles and pistols, together with bolt cutters, machetes and iron bars, gave the robbery the features of a planned assault rather than a spontaneous burglary.
The case has also brought renewed attention to the risks faced by private security guards at farms, businesses and isolated properties. Mabunhu and Zhakata were among the workers who confronted the armed men in the first minutes of the attack, when the security team had to respond without knowing how many assailants had entered the property or what weapons they were carrying.
The scale of the sentences comes as Zimbabwean police continue to publicise convictions involving armed robbers and violent thieves. In a statement covering convictions up to September 16, 2025, the Zimbabwe Republic Police named offenders sentenced for armed robbery, murder, carjacking, unlawful entry and large-scale theft. Among the cases listed were three men jailed for five years each after an armed robbery in Harare and another offender who received an eight-year sentence for armed robbery and unlawful entry.
Police said public cooperation had helped law-enforcement agencies secure convictions and urged residents to continue providing information about criminal networks. The Alpha and Omega Farm case similarly involved a broad investigation after the robbery, with suspects appearing in court in stages before the larger group was eventually brought to trial.
Earlier proceedings in the case involved Peter Maramba Vhiya and Takudzwa Maisvoreva, who were accused of taking part in the farm attack alongside other accomplices. The court papers described the group as having planned the raid and assigned roles that included controlling the guards, forcing entry into the property and searching the bedrooms for money and valuables.
The account of the February 25 attack on Siminya’s residence showed how the group allegedly moved between properties. Residents were woken in the early hours after dogs began barking and noises were heard at the back door. When people attempted to investigate or seek help from neighbours, the robbers forced their way inside. Neighbours who came to assist fled after one of the attackers fired two warning shots into the air.
Inside the property, the attackers confronted people sleeping in separate rooms and took phones, cash and household goods. The robbery extended from the bedrooms to the lounge and then to the tuckshop, where Chidukudze was assaulted. The stolen items included two televisions, several mobile phones, groceries, a power bank and cash from both the home and the business.
The two incidents left a trail of damaged property and injured victims, while the recovery of only a portion of the goods taken in the farm raid meant that most of the stolen cash and valuables were not returned. The sentencing has now brought the trial to a close with all 18 men facing lengthy prison terms.
Murehwa, Vhiya, Maisvoreva, Shangwa, Dinhidza, Tafirei, Mushayatu, Mhaka and Bhaureni will serve 76 years each. Mutaka, Kuzvinzwa, Dhliwayo, Chokera, Mutinhidza, Chakanetsa, Saurombe, Mushawemhuka and Marongedze will serve 55 years each.
Together, the terms represent one of the largest combined prison sentences arising from a single robbery case in Zimbabwe. They reflect the number of victims, the value of the property taken, the violence used against security guards and residents, and the presence of firearms during the attack.
The case began with a night-time assault on a guarded farm and ended with 18 convictions. Between those two points, the court heard how security workers were beaten and restrained, residents were forced to open bedrooms and safes, a firearm and ammunition were taken, neighbouring households were searched and a gun battle broke out before the attackers escaped.
The men will now begin serving their respective terms after being convicted at the conclusion of the trial.