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MAN ROBBED OF E0.5M CIGARETTES AT KNIFEPOINT

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MANZINI – As the country is in short supply of cigarettes, a man was robbed of a consignment worth about E0.5 million at knifepoint.


The robbery was committed by a gang of robbers at Nhlambeni, along Mhlaleni-Nhlangano Public Road last Friday at around 8pm and this was after the unknown robbers had hijacked a bakkie.


An impeccable source said a 38-year-old man of Siphocosini reported to the police that on Friday, July 10, 2020 at around 8pm, he was robbed a total of 18 boxes of different brands of cigarettes. The source said according to the man, the cigarettes were valued at E499 500.
“He said he was robbed by a gang of robbers at knifepoint,” the source said.


Transporting


He said the victim of the robbery claimed that he bought the cigarettes from one of the wholesalers in Matsapha and he was transporting the consignment to Nhlangano, where it was to be sold at retail prices.


However, the source said when the man was at the speed humps at Nhlambeni, along the Mhlaleni-Nhlangano Public Road, where there is a T-junction to Ngonini Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU), which is under the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), he was hijacked.


The source said according to the victim’s narration, when he applied brakes at the speed humps, he was overtaken by a Toyota Tazz sedan and it stopped right in front of the bakkie he was driving.


Thereafter, the source said the man claimed that he was left with no other option, but to stop the vehicle in order to avoid causing an accident. Immediately after he stopped his vehicle, he claimed that about three men who were armed with homemade knives, jumped out of the Toyota Tazz sedan and charged towards him.


When he looked back using the rear view mirror to find out if there was a vehicle coming so that he could raise the alarm, he saw two other bakkies parking behind his car.


By then, the source said the three armed men had placed their knives on his chest and neck, threatening to kill him if he offered any resistance. The source said the man told the police that he saw another group of men offloading the boxes from the back of the bakkie, which contained cartons of cigarettes from his car to their two vehicles.


“Unfortunately, the man claimed that he could not see how many the robbers were because those who threatened to kill him gave him an order not to make any movement,” the source said.
Thereafter, he said the man claimed that the robbers sped off, leaving him unharmed. He said it was then that he got a chance to contact the police about the matter.


However, the source said when the police asked the victim to produce receipts to prove that he had purchased the cigarettes from the wholesale as he had claimed when recording his statement, he had challenges. As a result, the source said they were waiting for the man to furnish them with invoices of the cigarettes as they believed they (invoices) could assist them in their investigations.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the robbery. She said the police were investigating the matter and no arrests had been made yet.


It is worth noting that the country is currently in short supply of cigarettes due to the outbreak of COVID-19, which saw countries, including the Kingdom of Eswatini, implementing strict measures to curb the spread of the virus, such as lockdowns. The implementation of the partial lockdown restricted the importation and exportation of non-essential goods, including cigarettes.


Due to the short supply of cigarettes, some people smuggle the cancer sticks from the Republic of Mozambique. For example, recently, it was reported that a member of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) was arrested at Mhlumeni Border Post while trying to smuggle goods worth close to E200 000.


Smuggled


According to the report, the male police officer, who is based at Siteki Police Station, was handed over to senior police officers at the same station after members of Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) caught him driving a government vehicle loaded with liquor and clothing items. It was reported that the officer was caught after he had transported a load of smuggled cigarettes.


In fact, the smuggling of cigarettes from Mozambique is not something new since it used to take place even before the lockdown. This is because on a monthly basis, the UEDF reports about illegal cigarettes which have been confiscated by its members from people who try to smuggle it into the country.
On the other hand, in the neighbouring South Africa, the sale of cigarette has been banned. People, especially those who are found in possession of cigarettes in public, are asked to provide a receipt for proof of purchase.

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