By Mashudu Netsianda

One of the five robbers who raided two houses in Bulawayo and burnt the occupants’ buttocks with hot electric irons before robbing them of money, laptops, cellphones and plasma television sets, has been sentenced to 12 years in jail.

Brezhnev Maposa (38) was convicted of robbery by Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Joseph Mabeza. He will serve an effective 10 years in jail after two years were suspended for five years on condition that he does not within that period commit a similar offence.

Maposa, who is linked to several pending cases of armed robbery that include robbing a Midlands miner of gold worth US$33 500 and US$6 000 cash, connived with four other suspects who are still at large and descended on two houses in Tshabalala suburb at night.

They found the complainants asleep and woke them up.

The armed robbers plugged electric irons and burnt them on the buttocks before robbing them of their money and property.

Prosecuting, Mr Thobekani Nyathi said on May 14, the accused persons ganged up with four other suspects only identified as Shacks, Shailock, Julius and one Robson Chatikobo, who are still at large and allegedly raided the two houses on two different occasions.

“On May 14 at about 2.39AM, the accused person and his accomplices who are still at large stormed into Nqobile Malinga’s house in Tshabalala while the complainant was asleep with his family. They took the complainant’s iron and plugged it in before burning him on the buttocks using the hot electric appliance,” he said.

The court heard that the accused person and his gang covered the complainant’s mouth with a pillow and ordered him to surrender $2 000, R1 600, his property which included an HP laptop, a Samsung cellphone, a plasma TV, a Huawei cellphone and a Mobicel tablet.

A week later, Maposa and his accomplices went to Ms Somuhle Khumalo’s house in Tshabalala at about 1.30AM.

“On May 23, they stormed her house while armed with knives and demanded an iron from the complainant. They plugged the iron and switched it on before using it to burn the complainant and her son’s buttocks,” said Mr Dlodlo.

They robbed Ms Khumalo of US$2 400, $155 and R2 760 and fled from the scene.

A report was made to the police leading to Maposa’s arrest. The victims were rushed to hospital after sustaining burns.

Maposa is also facing several other cases of armed robbery which are still pending before the courts. He ganged up with his accomplices and raided a mine in Shurugwi belonging to a Chinese national and went away with 889 grammes of gold worth US$33 500, US$6 000 cash, eight cellphones and clothes at gunpoint.

They were allegedly armed with a pistol, confronted the owner Mr Xhang Xhinda and robbed him of 889 grammes of gold worth US$33 500, eight Huawei cellphones, money and clothes at gunpoint.

A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of Maposa. He was arrested at Highlanders Clubhouse in Bulawayo while he was looking for a gold buyer.

The court heard that detectives recovered 889 grammes of gold and two cellphones. The Chronicle