Robbers raid mine

An eight man armed gang recently attacked a mine belonging to Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company, 20km west of Lalapanzi in Midlands, and got away with explosives and detonators whose value could not be immediately ascertained.

Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company is a joint business venture between a Chinese foreign direct investor, China Building Material Corporation for Foreign Econo-Technical Co-operation, and the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe.

Midlands police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko said on July 31 around 2am, the eight robbers armed with machetes and logs, attacked the mine, where eight security guards were on duty.

Four of the gang shattered the windscreen of the security guards’ motor vehicle before manhandling two guards who were in the vehicle while the other four went to the main plant and attacked the other four security guards, he said.

All the guards were tied with wire and ropes after which they were force-marched into the bush where they were heavily assaulted with logs.

One of the robbers was left to keep an eye on the guards while the others went to the magazine site and stole 21 SB codes, 2121 reels of power codes and 76 boxes of Emex 29 x 270 explosives, and drove away in an unidentified truck.

Police attended the scene and instituted investigations.

In a separate incident, Insp Mahoko said a 29-year-old man was robbed of US$420 by a gang of four, comprising two women and two men, who offered him a lift in an unregistered Honda Fit vehicle.

According to the police, on Sunday at around noon, Simelukuthula Ncube of Fitchlea, Kwekwe, boarded an unregistered black Honda Fit at Senderai roundabout in the city centre for a lift to Sebakwe Block plots outside the city.

Mr Ncube occupied the back seat in the vehicle, which had four others, the driver and three passengers, one man on the front seat and two females on the backseat.

“They drove in the Harare direction and upon reaching the 204km peg, near Sebakwe Bridge, the driver pulled the vehicle off-the road and parked,” said Insp Mahoko, adding that the male passenger got off the vehicle and opened the back passenger door from outside.

“He pointed the complainant with an unidentified pistol and ordered him to surrender all his belongings. The two women searched Mr Ncube and took a wallet with cash amounting to US$420 and an Itel S18 Procellphone. They then pushed him out of the vehicle and drove away.”

Insp Mahoko urged members of the public with information on both cases to report to the nearest police station.