FOUR men from Ngwana village in Bulilima district of Matabeleland South province, who appeared in court for allegedly stealing a bicycle, which they damaged and abandoned after its owner escaped, have been remanded in custody.
Stanley Tshuma (24), Shepherd Dube (20), Prince Dube (20) and Mbongeni Ndlovu (18) appeared before Plumtree magistrate Joshua Nembaware facing theft charges.
They were remanded in custody to October 20.
Prosecutor Sheila Nyathi told the court that the incident occurred on the night of October 11.
The 29-year-old complainant was cycling home alone from Diba business centre to the Shila area.
“Upon approaching Diba Primary School, the complainant was attacked by the four suspects, who emerged from the bush and hurled stones at him,” Nyathi said.
"Fearing for his life, the complainant abandoned the bicycle, jumped into the school yard and fled."
The suspects allegedly removed the bicycle from the crime scene.
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The following morning, on October 12, the complainant returned to the area at around 5am with one Zibusiso Mlilo to look for the bicycle.
They followed the tracks of the bicycle, which led them to the home of one of the suspects.
To their surprise, they found all four men asleep in the same room.
When confronted, the group denied any knowledge of the stolen bicycle.
The complainant then alerted a member of the local neighbourhood watch committee.
Upon the involvement of the committee, the badly damaged bicycle was recovered from under a nearby tree.
The court heard that the value of the bicycle is US$100.
The complainant was referred to Plumtree District Hospital for treatment of the injuries suffered during the attack.
