Two armed robbers ambushed a Harare-bound Croswell
Logistics cross-border bus in northern South Africa at around 10am yesterday
and robbed 58 passengers of cellphones and cash.
The driver, Mr Thembane Ngwenya, escaped death by a whisker
after two bullets missed him.
The attack occurred when the bus stopped along the N1
Highway between Zebediella and Polokwane as the driver sought to check on a
disturbing mechanical noise.
“This is a miracle. I survived by God’s grace. Two bullets
missed my head at close range,” said Mr Ngwenya.
“We were travelling between Zebediella and Polokwane when I
heard a disturbing sound while I was about to descend a slope. I asked the
co-driver about the sound and he said he was not aware of where it was coming
from. I then failed to engage into other gears. The door then swung open on its
own. I stopped the bus after a few metres and as we were trying to investigate,
one of the robbers shot at me.
“He tried again and missed. When he tried for the third
time, the magazine fell out of the pistol. He told me that I was a very
religious and pulled me out of the bus before he demanded R40 000 which I had
been given by a client in Johannesburg. I insisted I had no money and he
threatened to shoot me in the leg.”
Mr Ngwenya said when his colleague tried to find out what
was happening, he was assaulted, pulled out of the bus and ordered to lie down
before one of the robbers got onto the bus.
Co-driver Mr Pierson Zano said the robber ordered everyone
off the bus and told them to surrender money and cellphones on their way out.
“They threatened to shoot anyone who resisted and after
failing to get the money from Thembane (Mr Ngwenya), they came to me demanding
the same money but failed to get anything. One of them searched all the
passengers and took away a backpack (satchel) from one passenger and loaded
money and cellphones. They searched the passengers twice,” he said.
Mr Zano said the pair vanished with his cellphone and
R6000.
He said they suspected the robbers were working in cahoots
with a passenger who had a fake passport who had tried to board the bus in
Johannesburg.
One of the passengers, Mr Lloyd Zvorufura said: “I was
seated near the front seat when they shot and dragged the driver outside. He is
lucky to be alive. They insisted on him giving them R40 000 and they also took
away money from everyone.
“Some passengers were assaulted with the butts of the guns
for resisting. The criminals took my cellphone, R70 and US$100.”
Ms Kristle Moyo, who complained of pain in her legs, said
she was injured after one of the robbers assaulted her repeatedly after
suspecting that she had seen his face.
“He threatened to kill me while claiming that I had seen
his face. He later ordered me to board the bus and not look back.” Efforts to
get a comment from South African police in Limpopo Province were fruitless
yesterday.
Over 15 buses have been attacked by armed gangs on the N1
in the last 12 months. Herald
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