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Leonard Ncube, [email protected]

 AN armed robber who was part of a five-man gang that blew open a safe at the Agribank Lupane branch in June and still has a bullet stuck in his thigh has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for armed robbery.

Zenzo Siziba (44) of Lupane pleaded guilty to armed robbery when he appeared before Bulawayo Senior Regional Magistrate Mr Collet Ncube who returned to complete the case in Hwange where he had started the trial before being transferred to Bulawayo.

Siziba was visibly in pain, limping and walking with the aid of crutches when he stood for trial.

He was sentenced on Tuesday.

Siziba who had been in custody since his arrest on 26 June, indicated to the court that he wanted to stand trial so that once the case is over, he could look for help to have the bullet removed.

Soon after his arrest, he was admitted to a hospital under police guard after he was shot but the bullet was not removed because it needed specialist surgery which has not been conducted to date.

The magistrate slapped him with 12 years in jail before suspending two years on condition of good behaviour within five years.

Siziba will serve an effective 10 years in jail.

Prosecuting, Ms Jemesina Erica Makanza said Siziba and other accomplices pounced on a security guard at Agribank in Lupane and threatened him with a gun while ordering him to leave the scene.

Apart from guns, they had a hammer which they used to break open the banking hall door and explosives that they used to blast open a money safe.

The gang however fled from the bank before taking any money after being busted by the police who fired warning shots in the air before hitting Siziba as he and his accomplices fled.

Siziba was arrested and taken to St Luke’s Hospital where he was admitted under police guard.

The court was told that a member of the bank’s security team, Mr Isaac Sibanda who was on duty, heard the alarm ringing and went to investigate.

He found Siziba standing near the door.

Three accomplices suddenly emerged from the darkness and they produced a gun and ordered Mr Sibanda to leave the scene.

The security guard ran away and hid about 30 metres away from the banking hall from where he phoned the bank manager.

While he was still on the phone he heard an explosion in the bank.

The bank manager Mr Nguquko Nkomo immediately alerted the police who rushed to the scene and observed the gang fleeing from the bank into the darkness.

Police fired three warning shots resulting in Siziba being shot leading to his arrest.

Police recovered a satchel that had two computer hard drives, three used capped fuses, one stick of dynamite, a screwdriver, hammer and a shifting spanner.

The hard drives were identified as belonging to Agribank.

The suspects had used a hammer to break the bank door and also damage the CCTV.

Siziba was once arrested in 2021 alongside Abednico Ndlovu, Atkins Mahinzwi, Bruce Moyo, Kelvin Dzumbunu, and Gift Mwale in connection with a spate of armed robbery cases committed between January and April 2021 in Bulawayo and surrounding areas and was found with a 9mm pistol with a magazine of six rounds.

Chronicle could not readily establish the outcome of their arrest and how Siziba came out.

— @ncubeleon.