-now on 185yrs, as more cases emerge
FAITH NDOU
Masvingo – Serial armed robber and murderer, Daniel Munyanyi (50) of Dume Village under Chief Ndanga in Zaka, was last Thursday (April 2, 2026) sentenced to an additional 36 years in prison by Masvingo Regional Magistrate Innocent Bepura after being convicted on three counts of armed robbery.
Munyanyi, who had already been handed a 149-year sentence earlier in March, now faces a cumulative 185 years behind bars.
Magistrate Bepura imposed 12 years for each of the three counts.
The offences were committed between January and February 2026.
In all three incidents, Munyanyi used violence or threats of violence while armed with a firearm, forcing the victims to surrender cash, vehicles and other valuables.
The court heard that on January 15 2026, Munyanyi armed with a pistol, threatened Naison Mapanzure, Nenyasha Makombe and Collen Makombe at their residence in Penhalonga, Mutare. He robbed them of USD 3,500 in cash, a CCTV DVR and gold weighing 27.3 grams. None of the stolen property was recovered.
On February 18, 2026, Munyanyi acting in the company of accomplices still at large, robbed Cephas Ndekwere and Collins Mwadadza at gunpoint at their farm in Odzi, Mutare. The victims were dispossessed of a Ford Ranger vehicle, a Samsung S21 Ultra mobile phone and USD70. The vehicle and phone were later recovered.
In another incident on February 19 2026, Munyanyi and his accomplices targeted Mpungu Mutatayi and Taremekedza Maitsvakeyi along Grange Road in Mutare. Armed with a pistol, they forced the victims to surrender a Toyota Fortuner GD6 vehicle, cash and several mobile phones. The vehicle and some of the stolen items were later recovered by CID detectives, although the cash was not recovered.
Following his conviction, Magistrate Bepura imposed a 36-year sentence, bringing Munyanyi’s total prison term to 185 years.
The State was represented by Innocent Mudzingwa.
