Three armed robbers who targeted a Catholic Mission where they terrorised a priest before getting away with loot worth thousands of dollars have been slapped with a 21-year jail term each by a Hwange magistrate.

The three are Mehluli Ncube (38), Rostele Lostin Ncube (43), and Nehemiah Moyo(46) while Jerry Gonzo was acquitted after the State failed to prove a case against him.

The Ncube brothers were jailed after a full trial while a warrant of arrest was issued against Moyo.

Prosecutors proved that the group was responsible for a spate of robberies in Hwange and Victoria Falls.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on November 30 2023 the convicts went to St John's Mission where they threatened a security guard who was on duty with a pistol and knife, ordering him to be silent.

"One of the accused persons produced an okapi knife and pointed it at his abdomen while others broke into the Priest's house".

The convicts then tied up both the security guard and priest and threatened to stab them.

They took the Priest's Huawei cellphone before assaulting him all over the body while demanding cash and other valuables.

They also took cash which was in the wardrobe and an assortment of goods which they loaded into their getaway vehicle.

The matter was reported to the police leading to the arrest of Mehluli and Rostele on 2 December 2023 after a high-speed car chase along Hwange -Victoria Falls road.

They were found in possession of weapons which they used for robberies as well as an assortment of stolen property.