Zimpapers Logo

Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
THREE men severely assaulted two security guards at a wholesale in Bulawayo before blasting open a safe and getting away with $1 168 and a laptop.

The trio is suspected to have scaled a security wall at Mega Pak Company situated along Khami Road after midnight on Monday.

They bashed Mr Nkosiyabo Ngwenya (32) and Mrs Sikhangele Mlilo (46) from Quedec Security Company with logs and threatened to shoot them.

The guards sustained serious head injuries and are admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital.

The Chronicle visited the crime scene yesterday and saw tiny pieces of banknotes that were allegedly destroyed when the thieves used explosives to open the safe.

The money was scattered around a room that housed the safe.

Shards of glass and splinters from a destroyed wooden wall filled the room.

Mr Methuseli Dube (40), the operations manager at Quedec Security which guards the premises, said the two guards heard noise in the back yard and went to check.

“They didn’t find anything. They split up to search the front. As they arrived at the front of the building, three men pounced on them and bashed them with logs,” he said.

“The robbers disarmed the security guards and forced them into a room at the back yard. They made them lie on the floor on their stomachs before tying their hands and legs”.

Mr Dube said the trio grabbed the guards’ batons and struck them several times on their heads as they threatened to shoot them.

“One of them kept watch on the guards while two others proceeded to the main entrance. They broke the lock to the doors and entered the warehouse.

“They went into the storeroom where they blasted the safe and stole all the money. They immediately melted into the darkness,” he said.

Mrs Mlilo, Mr Dube said, managed to free herself, untied her partner and the pair sought help.

A Mega Pak manager who spoke on condition of anonymity said the explosives shredded most of the money that was in the safe.

“They used something to force open the door to the room housing the safe. They blew it up using explosives which unfortunately shredded most of the notes,” said the manager.

“The door to the safe flew into that wooden wall, destroying it and breaking glass,” she said, pointing at the wall.

The manager said it was fortunate that they had banked most of their cash.

“I’m sure the robbers were monitoring us for a while and with the traffic here, they probably expected to get a huge sum of money,” said the manager.

A source within the company said about $3 000 was in the safe on the night of the robbery.

The source said the robbers also got away with an HP laptop from the manager’s office and the guards’ cellphones.

Bulawayo Metropolitan Province acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube said police were investigating the robbery.

“I can confirm that we received a report of a robbery that occurred on Monday morning. The thieves got away with $1 168.

“We continue to urge businesspersons to avoid keeping cash at their premises or homes as this attracts thieves. It is safer to deposit money in a bank,” said Asst Insp Ncube.

@winnie_masara.