Times Of Swaziland: ARMED GANG GOES ON RAMPAGE

ARMED GANG GOES ON RAMPAGE
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BY KHULEKANI NENE AND JOSEPH ZULU on 09/05/2019 04:01:00


BUHLENI – Eswatini is under attack! An armed gang left a trail of destruction
when it attacked several homesteads and businesses located in north-eastern
parts of the country on Tuesday night.
One elderly man was shot, a woman was raped and at least three others were left
with serious injuries following the attack. The gang targeted areas stretching
from Buhleni to Manjengeni area, near Mananga Border Gate.
One of the targeted areas was Malibeni community, where three weeks ago, a man
was shot dead during what is widely believed to have been a botched robbery.
Information gathered was that the gang first attacked a homestead of a woman who
chairs a community stokvel (saving scheme). The armed gang robbed the homestead
of a laptop, money plus a car, whose description was not immediately
ascertained.
According to residents, after robbing the homestead, the armed gang jumped into
the stolen vehicle and fled.
However, a short distance from the homestead they had robbed (at a T-junction),
the armed gang coincidentally came across a police vehicle, which was reportedly
patrolling the area.
According to a community leader, who asked not to be named, the gang fired at
the police vehicle, and another car, which was passing by, was hit by a stray
bullet.
Police confirmed that a shootout ensued when they came across the armed gang at
the T-junction but they said none of their officers were injured.
“A bullet damaged the windscreen of a vehicle that was driven by a Caucasian
man but fortunately he escaped unhurt,” said Chief Police Information and
Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati.
During the shootout, the armed gang managed to flee the scene, leaving behind
the vehicle they had stolen.
Police reportedly remained at the scene, assuming that the armed gang would flee
and not commit other crimes but the gang had other plans. They attacked a second
homestead.