A SELF-PROCLAIMED Bulawayo prophet and cross-border driver and two other people have been arrested after they were allegedly found in possession of an unlicenced firearm.
BY SILAS NKALA
Kosiya Mudenda (25) and Langton Phiri (37) together with Sibekithemba Ndlovu (33) and Tatenda Ndlovu (39) were not asked to plead to the charge of illegal possession of firearms when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya applying for bail yesterday.
Their lawyer, Jabulani Mhlanga, submitted that the four were suitable candidates for bail arguing the State case was weak as it only relied on evidence from one witness, a police officer.
The magistrate granted them $50 bail each and ordered them to reside at the stated addresses until the case is finalised. He remanded them to today for trial.
The court heard that sometime last month, Phiri wanted to travel to South Africa and left two guns in the custody of his brother-in-law, Sibekithemba.
While in South Africa, he instructed Mudenda to collect the guns for cleansing as he was a prophet. Mudenda later allegedly gave a pistol and eight rounds of ammunition to his friend Tatenda for safekeeping.
Last Monday police detectives were tipped off about the guns, leading to Phiri’s arrest on his return. Police recovered a .22mm pistol with scratched serial numbers and eight rounds of ammunition from Tatenda.
