Guard killed in riverstone heist
MANZINI- A security cash guard from Cash Security Services was shot dead and another seriously injured during a heist at the Riverstone Mall yesterday morning.
Robbers made away with two money bags, containing an undisclosed amount of cash, after a fatal shootout at the main entrance of the mall.
One of the robbers was shot in the arm and leg, but still managed to escape.
The security guard, William Tsabedze, was confirmed dead upon arrival at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital. Sources claimed he was shot from the back, while his colleague Sibusiso Malindza was shot in the thigh.
The incident occurred at about 10am.
The robbers used a white Ford sedan and a Volkswagen Golf as getaway vehicles.
Sources also alleged that the police have managed to track down and impound the VW Golf.
"Two of the men came inside the mall and sat on the benches next to the entrance while the security cash guards were already upstairs. When they came down with the cash from the ATMs, the two men quickly covered their faces with balaclavas and started firing at them," a security guard at Riverstone Mall, who preferred anonymity, said.
The security guard said the men fired the shots while one of them tried disarming the cash guard who was later shot twice in the stomach, the source said.
"The one who was carrying the two huge red bags with the cash inside was assaulted with open hands and kicks by one of the robbers," he said.
The security guard said after he was assaulted he fell to the ground and had to surrender the cash and hide next to the security company vehicle which was parked in the middle of the entrance.
While the security guard was being interviewed by this reporter, his immediate boss, whose name is not known, quickly whisked him away and told journalists that the information already sourced was enough.
A third security guard is said to have fired at the two men, and one was allegedly shot in the leg and arm.
The pistol one of the suspects was using during the shootout fell to the ground while he escaped through the bushes behind Tinker’s Filling Station. The other man is said to have fled with the money belonging to Standard Bank using the white Ford sedan.
Throngs of people came to the scene while the cash guards lay bleeding profusely on the ground.
Part of the main glass door at the entrance was damaged as it was also shot by the men, who are currently on the run.
‘Scarface’ sniffer dog fails this time
MANZINI - The Royal Swaziland Police (RSP) used the sniffer dog that was used to track Bhekinkhosi ‘Scarface’ Masina to hunt down the man who escaped with two gunshot wounds.
The team of police and Correctional Services officers searched for the man in the Helemisi-Leites Manzini forest from 10:30am until 1pm using the dog which had delayed the commencement of the search as it had to be fetched from Matsapha.
The man who escaped on foot after he was allegedly shot by the security guards was, however, not found during the search. A resident said he spotted the fugitive walking past the Jehovah’s Witness Church before the search began.
"At the time I had not heard anything about the heist, I decided to pass by the mall to get something when I was told that a man had escaped with gunshot wounds," the man said.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Superintendent Wendy Hleta, confirmed that two men were shot during an incident at Riverstone Mall yesterday.
Superintendent Hleta said one man was certified dead and the other seriously injured.
"The police are still conducting investigations on the heist and to find out how much money was stolen during the incident. No one has been arrested so far, but the police are still investigating this serious matter," Superintendent Hleta said.
When asked why the RSP Rapid Response had not escorted the Cash Security Services Vehicle yesterday as usual, Superintendent Hleta said they escorted such vehicles only when informed to do so.
"In this case if the vehicle was not escorted it means we were not informed at all about the transportation of the said monies," Superintendent Hleta said.
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