HARARE - A Harare magistrate has jailed two members of the police special constabulary unit who robbed a government transport company of $980 at gunpoint.

The two robbed Central Mechanical Equipment Department (CMED) bus conductor.

Regional magistrate Simon Rogers Kachambwa sentenced the two, Farai Kambarami, 26, and Tadious Tafirenyika, 28, to eight years in prison each.

They will, however, spend three years each behind bars after Kachambwa suspended part of the sentence.

Kachambwa suspended four years on each of the duo’s sentence on condition of good behaviour for the next five years. A further one year for each of the two was suspended on condition they pay back the money they robbed to CMED before month- end.

CMED is a transport and equipment hire-company that operates Easy Go Liner buses. The court heard the two committed the offence in April last year after approaching Obey Chiwara, an Easy Go Liner conductor, who had just arrived at Roadport Bus Terminus in Harare from Zambia.

The pair confronted Chiwara demanding a $2 000 bribe after claiming the bus was carrying smuggled goods.

Chiwara pleaded with the two who later phoned their three accomplices purporting to be calling their superior.

The accomplices joined the duo and Kambarami produced a pistol demanding all the money Chiwara had.

Chiwara gave them $980. - Irvene Zhakata