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Shamiso Dzingire Court Reporter
POLICE have arrested the third suspect who together with two accomplices allegedly broke into Buchu Meat Wholesalers in Bulawayo’s Thorngrove industrial area on Saturday and savagely murdered a security guard.

They are suspected to have used a four-pound hammer to hit the guard on the head, an iron rod and a digger before robbing him of $300.

The three suspects, Jabulani Ndlovu, 33, Benson Mpofu, 25, and Lloyd Dondo, 21, of no fixed abode, were wearing masks when they pounced on the unsuspecting security guard, Jabulani Madolo, 48.

Ndlovu, Mpofu and Dondo were captured on the company’s closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) attacking Madolo resulting in his immediate death.

The three concealed their faces under woollen monkey caps when they committed the alleged crime.

Police detectives used the CCTV images to trace the three men until they arrested them on Saturday.

Ndlovu, Mpofu and Dondo appeared yesterday before Bulawayo magistrate, Charity Maphosa, facing a murder charge.

They were not asked to plead to the charge and remanded in custody to today to allow the State to access confirmation of extra-curial statements.

Prosecuting, Dumisani Ndlovu said on July 3, the trio proceeded to Buchu Meat Wholesalers where they intended to steal meat kept in refrigerated containers.

The court heard that on arrival, Ndlovu and Mpofu broke into the premises and left Dondo to act as a guard as they ransacked the place.

“One of the two accused who went inside the premises scaled over the steel barred workshop through an open space between the roof and iron bars. They took a 1.5 metre iron rod, a hammer and a steel digger which they used to force open the refrigerated containers,” Ndlovu said.

The court heard that Madolo became suspicious and on trying to investigate he was attacked by Ndlovu and Mpofu who had laid an ambush for him.

They struck him on the head using the iron rod and a digger and he died on the spot.

Dumisani Ndlovu said after killing Madolo, the three men searched his pockets and took two cellphones, a Nokia Asha and a Nokia 200 and fled leaving the security guard lying in a pool of blood.