Two men linked to a notorious armed robbery syndicate were each sentenced to an effective five years in jail for robbing two illegal immigrants of R720 and a cell phone at gunpoint.

The suspected syndicate is operating along the Limpopo River and targets border jumpers.

Alfred Makaye (20) of Zaka village in Masvingo and Viosi Kapuru (21) of Bepura village outside Beit Bridge pleaded not guilty to charges of armed robbery, but were convicted by Regional Magistrate Joseph Maveza a fortnight ago. They were sentenced to eight years in jail, of which three years were conditionally suspended for five years.

The prosecutor, Mr Johannes Tlou, said that on 23 May at around 06:00, the victims went to the Limpopo River intending to cross into South Africa illegally through an undesignated entry point. They were spotted by the two accused, who were part of a group involving two other accomplices still at large.

The group, which was armed with machetes, knives and a pistol, confronted the two complainants and demanded money amid threats to kill them. One of the gang members, who is still at large, fired a single shot with a pistol in the air to scare the victims.

They searched the victims and robbed them of R720 and a Nokia cell phone before they fled into the bush. The victims reported the matter to the police, who then accompanied them  to the scene.

It was further testified that while the police were at the scene, Makaye and Kapuru spotted the officers, who were in plain clothes. They approached the detectives, armed with machetes, and demanded money, prompting the detectives to retreat since they were not armed.

However, the detectives went back to the scene two days later, armed with pistols and reinforcements from the police's dog section, the court heard.

They set a trap for the suspects and, upon realising that they had been trapped, Makaya tried to attack one of the police officers with a machete. The police officer opened fire, shot him in the left thigh and arrested him. Kapuru managed to flee and he was arrested two days later.