Four Gwanda men were each sentenced to an effective 10-year prison term after staging a fake gold transaction that turned violent when one of the suspects fired shots at a mine worker before the group fled with cash.
Fonet Maranganya (27), Malvin Maranganya (19), Prince Sibanda (22) and Tatenda Ndiovu (23) were convicted of robbery by the Gwanda Magistrates’ Court following the April 2026 incident.
The court handed down a 12-year custodial sentence, with two years suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour, leaving each offender to serve an effective 10 years in prison.
The incident occurred at Ben Shire Mine in the Bar 20 area of Gwanda, where the victim, Learnmore Magodhi (39), had travelled after being approached by the accused persons who claimed they wanted to sell gold.
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According to court findings, the robbery was carefully planned. On April 1, 2026, at around 7pm, the four men met Magodhi at the mine under the pretext of completing the gold sale.
While the complainant counted ZAR15 000 to finalise the transaction, one of the suspects suddenly grabbed the cash. A struggle broke out, during which another accused produced a pistol and fired two shots at the victim in an attempt to overpower him.
Despite the attack, Magodhi fought back, managing to disarm the gunman and bite his hand. The confrontation forced the suspects to abandon the scene and flee.
Although the stolen cash was never recovered, police investigations were strengthened by evidence left behind at the scene, including a Samsung cellphone, a blank pistol, clothing items and a pair of sandals.
One of the arrested suspects later led police to the arrest of his accomplices, resulting in their successful prosecution.
The case exposed the dangers surrounding informal gold transactions, which have increasingly become a target for organised robberies in mining communities.
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