Two men granted bail after US$120,448 gold robbery in Bulawayo
Two men accused of using inside information to follow a gold courier from Gwanda to Bulawayo have been granted bail after the alleged theft of bullion worth US$120,448 and a violent struggle at a city service station.
Victor Tseriwa and Wellington Tendai Chidoti appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Patience Ururu on Tuesday, November 3, facing robbery charges. The High Court granted each man bail of US$200. They must live at the addresses given to the court, avoid interfering with State witnesses and report every Friday at Gwanda Central Police Station. The case was postponed to November 10.
The State alleges the pair acted with three accomplices — Thethelani Ndlovu, Tony Thandolwenkosi Nyoni and Khawulani Dube — who remain at large. Their alleged target was Victor Matiki, a cash-in-transit courier employed by Gold Wallet Private Limited.
Prosecutor Joseph Mugari told the court that the group went to a service station at the corner of Josiah Tongogara Street and Leopold Takawira Avenue shortly after 11am on October 20. The State alleges they had followed Matiki from Gwanda after obtaining confidential information about his work and journey.
“The accused persons, having obtained inside operational information regarding transit schedules, routes, mode of transport and custodian details, tracked the complainant from Gwanda to Bulawayo,” Mugari said.
The court heard that the men approached Matiki from behind and wrestled with him before taking a black leather pocket bag. Inside was 947.81 grams of gold bullion, valued at US$120,448.
Matiki tried to recover the bag by pursuing the group to a maroon Toyota Aqua. The State says the struggle continued after he reached the vehicle, and that he was forced out while it was moving.
“The accused persons and their accomplices wrestled with the complainant and forcibly threw him out of the moving vehicle before speeding away with the gold bullion,” Mugari said.
The alleged escape left investigators following separate leads in Bulawayo and Gwanda. Tseriwa was arrested at a wholesale outlet in Bulawayo. The court heard that he allegedly admitted to tracking Matiki’s movements from Gwanda. Chidoti was arrested at a service station in Gwanda, where US$8,000 was recovered. The State alleges the money was part of his share from the sale of the stolen gold.
The alleged use of advance operational information is central to the case described in court. The information said to have been obtained included the courier’s transit schedule, route, mode of transport and details of the person responsible for guarding the gold. The State alleges that this enabled the group to track Matiki on the journey from Gwanda before confronting him in Bulawayo.
The three other men named in court have not yet been arrested. The next scheduled court date for Tseriwa and Chidoti is November 10.
In a separate incident in Bulawayo last month, a police operation in Norwood ended with two arrests and the death of a man police identified as an alleged accomplice. Austin Nkomazana, 23, and Nkosikhona Ndlovu, 23, were arrested after a shootout in the suburb. Average Ndlovu, also 23 and known as SaAaron, was shot and later died at United Bulawayo Hospitals.
Police said the three were being investigated over five robbery cases reported in Umguza on October 18 and 19. In one case, at about 3.45am on October 19, a woman and her three children were attacked at home by people armed with machetes, axes and knives. Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “They allegedly stole US$2,000 in cash and valuables worth US$2,460.”
In another reported case, a man’s home was broken into at about 1.44am the same day. The intruders allegedly took US$300 and other valuables, then fled in his Honda Fit. The car was later abandoned after a road accident.
Officers, assisted by a canine unit, tracked the suspects to bushland near Plot 30 in Norwood. Nyathi said the suspects allegedly tried to attack and disarm police. “The officers fired warning shots, but the suspects continued advancing towards them, prompting the police to open fire,” he said. Average Ndlovu was struck in the chest and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The other two were arrested.
Another separate robbery was reported at a mine in Mberengwa on October 30. Five suspects — Trueman Joseph Kumo, 50, Tinashe Rungano Chinodya, 39, Calvinias Zhou, 58, Polite Moyo, 26, and Hamfry Mbosini Mpofu, 25 — were arrested in connection with the attack on security personnel.
Police spokesperson Nyathi said the assailants were armed with two pistols, axes and shovels. Three shotguns, loaded with 18 rounds, and US$16,500 in cash were taken during the robbery. Police later recovered the three firearms and five spent cartridges. The suspects were expected to appear in court.
The Bulawayo gold case is now set to return to court on November 10, while investigators continue to seek the three men named as alleged accomplices. The separate Norwood and Mberengwa cases have also brought arrests and, in the mine robbery, the recovery of the firearms reported stolen.