The audacity of
the robbers who ordered customers and staff to lie down as they ransacked the
premises, has left the local community shaken.
According to
witnesses, the incident occurred at around 11am on Monday when the supermarket
was full with customers doing their shopping.
The two
suspects who are still at large, were reportedly armed with a pistol and wore
surgical masks as they stormed the supermarket demanding money from shocked
employees.
“It all
happened so fast. One moment I was picking up groceries, the next I was ducking
for cover,” said a shopper who chose to remain anonymous.
The robbers are
said to have threatened staff and customers, creating panic as they emptied the
tills and the safe.
“I couldn’t
believe what I was seeing. It felt like something out of a film,” another
witness recounted.
Police have since launched a manhunt for the suspects. Bulawayo provincial acting police spokesperson, Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the incident.
“On 5 May 2025,
at around 11:40am, two armed robbers wearing surgical masks entered a shop, one
of them armed with a pistol. The armed robber then pointed the pistol at
customers and ordered everyone including staff members to lie down,” she said.
Inspector
Msebele said the robbers then proceeded to collect cash amounting to US$4 600
from tills.
She said after
collecting the cash, the other robber went to the cashier’s office and found
one of the managers in the office.
“He ordered her
to lie down, demanded the keys to the safe and she handed them over. The robber
then opened the safe and took all the money inside, along with some which was
on the table, amounting to US$417 and ZAR250 before leaving,” said Insp
Msebele.
She said the
manager ran out to check on the till operators and customers.
“She saw that
all the tills had been emptied. A police report was then made and
investigations revealed that the suspects fled the scene in a silver Honda Fit
without registration plates. The total value stolen is US$5 017 and ZAR250.
Nothing has been recovered,” said Insp Msebele.
She said anyone
with information that might lead to the arrest of the suspects should contact
any nearest police station.
Insp Msebele
also urged members of the public and business owners not to keep large sums of
money on their persons or premises.
“We appeal to
anyone with information that could assist in the arrest of the suspects to
contact any nearest police station,” she said. Chronicle
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