TWENTY-SEVEN passengers aboard an MB Transport bus heading
for Beitbridge were early yesterday robbed of money and valuables worth
thousands of dollars by three gunmen, some 20 kilometres before the border
town.
The incident occurred soon after the Lutumba tollgate along
the Beitbridge-Masvingo highway. The bus was reportedly travelling from Harare
with 33 people on board including the bus crew and the three suspects. MB
Transport proprietor Mr Brian Mungofa confirmed the incident yesterday.
“The robbers boarded the bus in Harare on Friday along with
other 27 passengers at the Mbudzi traffic circle. They then attacked the
passengers early in the morning at Lutumba area. They were three suspects and
have gone into hiding. The matter has been reported to the police,” said Mr
Mungofa.
It could not be readily verified how much was stolen from
the passengers. National Police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi
said the matter was under investigation.
“I can confirm that we are investigating a case of three
suspects who robbed some passengers in a bus they had boarded from Harare and
travelling to Beitbridge,” he said.
The incident occurred a few hours after 58 Zimbabweans
travelling to Harare from South Africa were robbed of valuables by two gunmen
who had followed them from Johannesburg. The bus driver, Mr Thembane Ngwenya
survived death by a whisker after two bullets narrowly missed his head when one
of the robbers shot at him at close range. According to Mr Ngwenya, the
suspects shot at the bus inducing a mechanical fault resulting in him stopping
after struggling to engage gears.
“They demanded R40 000 which they alleged had been given to
the bus crew by one client in Johannesburg. They searched everyone and took
away phones and money and left after they were convinced we had no money,” said
Mr Ngwenya.
Of late there has been an increase in cases where armed
robbers target Zimbabwean cross-border buses in South Africa.
After boarding the buses mainly in Pretoria they then
attack the passengers in bushes between Hamanskraal and Polokwane.
Over 15 buses have been attacked by armed gangs in the last
12 months. In addition, more than six buses have been attacked by armed robbers
between Lutumba and Beitbridge town by armed robbers who pretend to be
passengers but later attack their victims especially those travelling from
Harare to South Africa for shopping. Sunday News
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