Zim nationals charged over Klein Windhoek bank heist

THREE Zimbabwean nationals who appeared in the Gobabis Magistrate’s Court last week in connection with an alleged armed robbery at the town’s branch of Standard Bank Namibia are now being accused of committing an earlier alleged robbery at the same bank’s Klein Windhoek branch as well.

The three suspects made a first court appearance on a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Friday. They had appeared in the Gobabis Magistrate’s Court on another charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances on Monday.The charge against them in Windhoek stems from an alleged robbery in which some N$197 000 is claimed to have been stolen from the Klein Windhoek Branch of Standard Bank Namibia on March 9.That was the first of four suspected robberies in which Standard Bank branches in Windhoek and at Okahandja and Gobabis have been targeted over the past three months.With their court appearance on Friday, the three alleged robbers were added as accused to a case in which a fellow Zimbabwean, Bakani Dube (39), had been charged in mid-March.The three additional suspects are Itai Mashamba (31), who according to court records is also known as Nox Vusumusi, Mthulishi Sibanda (27), also known as Happy, and Plan Ndebele (31), also known as Kholuwane.They are all from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, as is Dube, according to the court record of their case.They were arrested almost two weeks ago after an alleged armed robbery in which N$202 066 is claimed to have been stolen from the Gobabis branch of Standard Bank Namibia on May 22.With their appearance before Magistrate Helvi Shilemba on Friday, the three men were told that they were being added to the case in which Dube had already been charged.They were informed of their rights to legal representation and the matter was postponed to June 7 for further investigation.All four charged men remain in Police custody.They had appeared in the Gobabis Magistrate’s Court on another charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances on Monday.The charge against them in Windhoek stems from an alleged robbery in which some N$197 000 is claimed to have been stolen from the Klein Windhoek Branch of Standard Bank Namibia on March 9.That was the first of four suspected robberies in which Standard Bank branches in Windhoek and at Okahandja and Gobabis have been targeted over the past three months.With their court appearance on Friday, the three alleged robbers were added as accused to a case in which a fellow Zimbabwean, Bakani Dube (39), had been charged in mid-March.The three additional suspects are Itai Mashamba (31), who according to court records is also known as Nox Vusumusi, Mthulishi Sibanda (27), also known as Happy, and Plan Ndebele (31), also known as Kholuwane.They are all from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, as is Dube, according to the court record of their case.They were arrested almost two weeks ago after an alleged armed robbery in which N$202 066 is claimed to have been stolen from the Gobabis branch of Standard Bank Namibia on May 22.With their appearance before Magistrate Helvi Shilemba on Friday, the three men were told that they were being added to the case in which Dube had already been charged.They were informed of their rights to legal representation and the matter was postponed to June 7 for further investigation.All four charged men remain in Police custody.