THE five suspected hitmen hired from South Africa to kidnap and assault a local businessman who had lost approximately US$800 000 in a botched gas tank deal were lured to the trap after being promised US$10 000, it has emerged.
The five were allegedly hired by Obrian Mapurisa.
The five suspects, Moses Monde (Johannesburg), Malvin Manzinde, Malvin Tatenda Nyamuranga, Norbert Muponda and Joshua Mapuranga, who are all based in Cape Town, were arraigned before the Harare Magistrates Courts facing charges of assault and conspiracy to kidnap.
The complainant, Oliver Tendai Chipindu, yesterday told Harare regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje that he lured the suspects to Zimbabwe with a US$10 000 bait after being informed of the plot by an acquaintance, Bernard Bruce Chiweshe.
Chipindu told the regional magistrate that he recorded conversations with the suspects, which confirmed their intentions.
He said the suspects confirmed that they travelled from South Africa with plans to kidnap him, but failed to locate him.
The court heard that Chipindu promised them US$10 000 and they agreed to meet.
“I sent them R15 000 through Bento to cover their bus fare costs to Zimbabwe,” he said.
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However, Chipindu said it was Bento who promised the accused persons US$10 000 if they came to meet him.
“I told Bento that I had no such money, but he told me that since they already wanted to kidnap me, I should trap them so that they get arrested,” he said.
The accused persons allegedly arrived in Zimbabwe on March 20 and stayed at a lodge in Avondale.
“I gathered courage and went to the lodge and upon arrival, they all confirmed that, indeed, they had been sent to me and to test their loyalty, I asked them if they vetted the issue at hand before executing their order,” Mupindu said.
“Shockingly, they said they do not care what the issue is since they are hired, they only execute plans of their master.
“I felt that as much as they had come to ‘assist’ me, they are not loyal to people, but only to money and I felt it was not safe to deal with them.”
He said the suspects offered to bring Mapurisa to him dead or alive, adding that they needed a vehicle to visit his place.
Chipindu, however, advised them that he did not want any blood, but he only wanted his money back.
Prosecutor Ephraim Zinyandu submitted two recorded telephone audios as evidence, but defence counsel Moffat Makuvatsine objected, requesting voice expert analysis to verify the speakers’ identities.
