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A Mzansi Express bus and Mrs Samukeliso Mpofu who was on the ill-fated bus

Travelling to South Africa is getting riskier for most Zimbabweans, particularly those doing so by road.

Hardly a week passes before we hear of a hit targeting our compatriots who would be on buses or driving to that country for shopping or other business. Those using Zimbabwe-registered vehicles are most vulnerable.

The main reason why this is so is that criminals know that the travellers would be having cash and other valuables on them. Therefore, they know that if they raid the vehicles, chances are high that they would be able to get away with rich pickings in one fell swoop.

Our lead story today is a horrific account of an early morning attack on a bus belonging to Mzansi Express at Musina on Friday. The driver had stopped to refuel and also decided to sleep. A gang of four armed man, one of the numerous that are always on the prowl in that country, took the opportunity to dash on board to demand money from 22 passengers who were on the bus.

A passenger we spoke to estimated that the robbers made way with a total of R22,100, $80 and cellphones. In this case however, the thieves met their match after a bold passenger fought with one of them, seized his firearm and shot the intruder dead. The passenger was also shot and injured and is reportedly in hospital. We regret the incident and the injuries he sustained, but would want to commend him for his rare bravery — an unarmed person taking on a criminal who is armed. His boldness may have prevented more losses to his compatriots on the same vehicle as the robber had despoiled three people already. We wish him a speedy recovery.

The Friday case is one of a string of others in which Zimbabweans were targeted. Last month, a mob allegedly burnt an Eagle Liner bus carrying 21 Zimbabweans from Bulawayo to Johannesburg and robbed them of their valuables. The thieving pack was part of a larger group of protesters who were showing their anger at the ruling ANC’s decision to field a candidate they disliked for the Tshwane mayoral election.

In April last year, 48 Zimbabweans endured a four-hour hijack horror aboard an Intercape bus in the neighbouring country. Four pistol and rifle-wielding men got away with cash, cellphones and gadgets worth tens of thousands of dollars when they commandeered the Bulawayo/Johannesburg bus near Hammanskraal at around 3.30AM.

Two months later, two Zimbabwean buses were attacked by armed highway robbers. Eagle Liner and Citiliner buses were headed for Johannesburg when they were attacked within a space of two days. These are the reported cases, most likely because they involve buses and bigger numbers. There is a likelihood that there are smaller hits involving private motorists and fewer people and are rarely captured in the news.

It concerns us that Zimbabweans are losing their money and valuables, are getting injured and losing their lives as well as enduring frightening experiences as they conduct their business in South Africa.

Indeed the crime rate is high in South Africa, with rape, robberies, assaults and thefts being the order of the day. Gangs reign supreme in that country and law enforcement agents are often two steps behind. We regret that crime is so high that cases are sometimes not concluded and suspects never accounted for.

As we noted, it seems violent crimes are routine and don’t alarm anyone really. An online search last night did not yield a result of the Mzansi Express attack being reported in the media down south yet we have a manager of the place where the crime took place and a woman who was on the bus confirming that it happened. A bus carrying 22 people was raided by an armed gang, one person died while another was injured and money was seized but still it wasn’t big enough to make news.

It is different from other countries in Sadc where crime rates are low and police and courts are generally on top of the situation. In these countries, an armed robbery is always big news and culprits are arrested, unless if they melt into South Africa.

However, that will not stop us from imploring law enforcers there to redouble their efforts to fight crime and protect not only visitors to their country but their citizens as well.

It is unfortunate that the prevailing cash shortage in our country and the resulting measures have seen banks suspending international plastic money transactions. Were it not for that, we were going to encourage our people to just carry their cards when they travel to South Africa, so that when robbers attack, they will not lose their hard-earned money but only phones perhaps and other less valuable property. But the cash crunch will not be there forever.

South Africa is the big brother in Sadc and has that pull across the region. Yes we recognise that amid the prevailing economic challenges here, a few items aren’t available locally and if they are they are a bit costly thus some of us have to travel to get them.

However, our people can consider shopping in safer Botswana, for example, or Namibia if, we have to emphasise, at all they decided to go abroad to do so.