Harare,  (New Ziana) – A 42-year-old man from Masvingo has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison following a violent string of robberies that terrorized pedestrians along a remote footpath between Siphambi Shopping Centre and Bhati Business Centre last month.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Tawanda Dovi was convicted by the Masvingo magistrates court on three counts of robbery, all committed over a span of just four days in March this year.

The court heard how Dovi targeted unsuspecting pedestrians, brandishing a 6-gear Okapi knife to intimidate his victims before making off with their belongings.

The first attack occurred on March 22, when Dovi ambushed a woman and forcibly took her Itel A50 smartphone.

Just two days later, on March 24, he struck again—this time robbing another woman of US$12 and a Mobicel mobile phone.

In a chilling escalation, on March 25 Dovi stabbed a male victim four times before fleeing with two mobile phones and US$51 in cash.

Following swift police investigations, Dovi was apprehended and some of the stolen items were recovered. He was found guilty on all three counts of robbery.

The presiding magistrate handed down a 36-month sentence, with six months suspended on condition of good behavior, leaving him with an effective 30-month term behind bars.

New Ziana