In a dramatic turn of events, two men who were initially accused of smuggling 30 firearms worth US$14,000 into the country faced a surprising twist in court yesterday. It was revealed that the alleged guns were, in fact, harmless toys with a value of only R2,000.
Previously, the police had announced that the accused individuals would be charged with illegal possession of firearms. However, this narrative quickly changed when it was discovered that the items in question were merely toy guns.
According to reports, the toy guns were intended for training purposes at a security company owned by one of the defendants. Douglas Emmanuel Jekanyika, 44, residing in Belvedere, Harare, and Godknows Gunda, 31, from Msasa, found themselves back in court today for bail considerations.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that on March 5, detectives from CID Southerton received a tip-off regarding the alleged smuggling of firearms by the two individuals. The firearms were said to have been brought into Zimbabwe through the Beitbridge Border Post on Tems Logistics Bus Services, with the intended destination being Highglen Road Port in Harare.
Acting swiftly on the tip-off, a team of detectives apprehended Jekanyika as he was collecting two suspicious boxes. Upon opening the boxes, they discovered that one contained ten F92 toy guns, while the other held 20,000 rounds of blank pistol ammunition.
During his interview with the authorities, Jekanyika claimed that Gunda was the rightful owner of the consignment. Subsequently, the case was referred to CID Homicide, where it was conclusively determined that the items were indeed toys.
