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Online Reporter

AN eight-man armed gang stormed Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company (SZCC), 20 kilometres west of Lalapanzi in the Midlands province, and got away with a variety of mining equipment whose value could not be immediately ascertained.

Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company is a joint business venture between a Chinese Foreign Direct Investment partner, China Building Material Corporation for Foreign Econo-Technical Co-operation (CBMC), and the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe Limited (IDC).

Midlands police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko said on August 31 around 2AM, the eight-member gang armed with machetes and logs, pounced on the mine, where eight security guards were on duty.

“Four of the suspects shattered the windscreen of the security guards’ motor vehicle before manhandling two guards who were in the vehicle while the other four suspects went to the main plant where they also manhandled four security guards,” he said.

All the guards were tied with wire and ropes after which they were force-marched to a nearby 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 rills 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 seperate 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 gave him transport in an unregistered Honda Fit.

According to the police,  on August 13, around 12 noon, the victim Simelukuthula Ncube of Fitchlea, Kwekwe, boarded an unregistered black Honda Fit at Senderai roundabout in the Central Business District going

to Sebakwe Block plots outside the town.

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

“They drove in the Harare direction and upon reaching the 204 Km 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 Ncube and took a wallet with cash amounting to US$420 and an Itel S18 Procellphone. They then pushed the complainant 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.