Shelton Jubane has engaged a lawyer and is preparing a bail application after being arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Bulawayo businessman Tedious Rutanhira during a US$10,000 robbery.
Jubane, 37, appeared before Bulawayo Provincial Resident Magistrate Themba Chimiso on Friday facing a murder charge. He was represented by Simbarashe Innocent Madzivire of Mashayamombe Law Firm, who is now working on an application for bail at the Bulawayo High Court.
The accused was remanded in custody to 9 October for routine remand, opening a new stage in a case that began with a late-night killing in central Bulawayo and quickly widened into a police investigation involving a suspected armed robbery network.
Rutanhira, 52, was shot dead shortly after 11pm on 14 September after closing his shop near a Zuva service station along Joshua Mqabuko Street, between Third and Fourth avenues. He was walking towards his vehicle, which was parked at the service station, when he was confronted by armed men.
The State alleges that Jubane acted together with Mehluli Ncube, also known as Mamba, Muzi Richard Fambirai Moyo and Bhekimpilo Mabuza. Ncube and Moyo were later killed in a shoot-out with police, while Mabuza remains at large.
The court heard that the men were armed with pistols when they approached Rutanhira and tried to seize the bag he was carrying. He resisted, and the attackers allegedly opened fire before taking the bag and fleeing.
“While the deceased was walking towards his car, the accused and his accomplices emerged and tried to forcibly take the bag he was clutching, but he resisted. They then fired shots at him, killing him on the spot,” said principal public prosecutor Milton Moyo.
The bag contained US$10,000. Police also said Rutanhira had a pistol, which was taken during the robbery. Taxi drivers who witnessed the attack tried to stop the fleeing suspects and attempted to make a citizen’s arrest, but the robbers allegedly fired shots in their direction before escaping.
The killing left Rutanhira’s family facing the loss of a husband, father and businessman who had become a source of support for many people in the area. He was buried at Umvutshwa Cemetery in Bulawayo on 18 September, with family members, vendors, small-scale traders and business associates attending the funeral.
His son witnessed the attack from nearby. The son said he had stayed behind to lock up the shop and saw two men run towards his father.
“We had just closed the shop and I remained behind locking the door. Within a few minutes, I saw two men charging towards my father and they shot him. The scene haunts me and I pray that law enforcement agents will eventually arrest them so that we can find closure as a family,” he said.
Rutanhira’s wife, Ngoni, described him as a loving and supportive husband who cared deeply for his children. Vendors who worked near his shop said he often helped them with stock, credit and money for basic needs.
The police investigation produced its first major breakthrough soon after the shooting. Detectives followed information about the suspects’ whereabouts and, on 17 September, moved against the group.
The operation ended in a gun battle in which Ncube, 45, who was known as Mamba, and Moyo, also 45, were shot dead. Police arrested Jubane and three other suspects: Charles Ndlovu, 52, Prince Chisale, 31, and Clive Ncube, 25 or 27, with the age recorded differently in the early accounts of the case. Mabuza escaped and is still being sought.
One of the cases before the Bulawayo Regional Magistrates Court concerns an alleged attack at the 02A Windermere Mine in Umguza on 26 June. Prosecutor Tsungai Charmaine Mutapi told the court that the suspects arrived at the mine at about 9pm and initially asked to enter the premises on the pretext that they wanted to sell gold.
When a guard told them that the mine did not buy gold, three of the men allegedly walked away before suddenly turning back. They were accused of rushing at the guard while armed with pistols, pointing the weapons at people in the guardroom and ordering them to lie on the floor.
“One of the accused then took the complainant’s Datron communication radio valued at US$250, handcuffs valued at US$10 and a Huawei Prime 2019 Y9 cellphone valued at US$100,” said Mutapi.
The court heard that the group then confronted another security guard and demanded to know where gold was kept. They allegedly took a Samsung Galaxy cellphone valued at US$90 and a safe box before running to a vehicle parked at the gate.
The same night, another security guard was allegedly attacked at his cottage at the mine while he was with his wife. Two of the suspects were said to have been armed. The couple were allegedly dragged to the director’s office, where the attackers took US$1,000, ZWG$1,000 and a safe box valued at US$300. The complainants were then allegedly locked inside the office.
Ndlovu, Jubane, Chisale and Clive Ncube appeared in court facing three counts of armed robbery. They were not asked to plead and were remanded in custody to 1 October. They were also advised of their right to engage a lawyer or apply for bail at the High Court.
Jubane is facing separate proceedings over an alleged attempted robbery at a Puma fuel station and a robbery at a guest lodge. In the fuel station case, the group allegedly went to the business at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street shortly after 11pm on 11 September, three days before Rutanhira was killed.
The suspects allegedly manhandled a worker and demanded cash. The worker ran into a storeroom and locked herself inside, after which the group reportedly fled.
The same men are accused of then going to a lodge at the corner of Connaught Avenue and Herbert Chitepo Street. One of them allegedly produced a pistol, threatened the cashier and demanded money. The cashier was searched and the group allegedly took US$265 before leaving.
Those incidents, the Windermere Mine allegations and the Rutanhira murder are now part of the wider investigation that police say covers 10 armed robberies. The authorities have not publicly released the full details of every case, but the charges already before the courts describe a series of attacks in which pistols were allegedly used to demand cash, phones, communication equipment and access to secured premises.
Jubane’s decision to engage a lawyer marks his latest move in a case that has already cost two alleged accomplices their lives and left another suspect wanted. While the police operation brought four men into custody, the alleged network has not been fully accounted for because Mabuza remains at large.
For Rutanhira’s family, the arrest came after days of mourning and appeals for information. For investigators, it has opened a much larger inquiry into armed robberies across Bulawayo and nearby areas. Jubane will now return to court as his lawyer seeks to secure his release while the murder and robbery matters continue before the magistrates’ courts and the High Court.