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MATSANGENI – An innocent bystander was shot and killed and two others were injured when armed robbers broke into a restaurant in Mattsanjenny on Sunday night.
The shooting happened at around 9pm, shortly before closing time. Matsangeni is about 59 kilometres south of Nhlangano, near the southern border town of Lavumisa, close to the country’s northern border with South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.Witnesses said the store was about to close when three men ambushed staff and forced them to open the cash register. According to witnesses, one of the intruders was armed with a gun and another accomplice was armed with a knife. They are said to have then gone through the cash register and took all the day’s receipts, totaling €6,700. After getting the cash, the robbers allegedly fled to the parking lot of Ekhaya restaurant in Matsanjeni Commercial Area. While fleeing, the robbers opened fire indiscriminately, injuring three people they encountered.
Injuried
One of the victims did not survive, while the other two were seriously injured and had to be taken to different medical facilities. They were initially taken to a nearby medical facility where they were transferred to two other people due to the severity of their injuries.The man who did not survive was confirmed dead at Matsanjeni Health Centre. The 34-year-old man was found unconscious with a gunshot wound to the head.The victim was later identified as a Mozambican national who had been employed by the restaurant owner as a bricklayer. However, he had just finished his work for the day and was wandering around when the attack occurred.One of the two people injured in the exchange of fire was a staff member of the restaurant and a security guard responsible for guarding the restaurant.
The other victim was a customer who came to the restaurant to buy something to eat. Police arrived at the scene after receiving an emergency call. Investigators are currently working with the local community policing forum to bring the criminals to justice.A community member revealed to our magazine that yesterday morning, many police officers were seen searching for possible clues at the crime scene.“There were a lot of police officers there,” he said.Information obtained by this publication indicates that the suspects are being rounded up.The incident has caused panic among the community residents. The community residents interviewed called on the police to patrol more frequently and increase the police force in the area.
Discomfort
Former MP Qedusizi Ndlovu also expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of police in the area.“I am shocked and disappointed. We have been complaining about the lack of police visibility and I am curious why it took so long for the authorities to intervene. We need at least a police post because this is a very busy area; there are a lot of businesses here,” he said.Besides the economic activities happening in the area, Ndlovu also stressed that there is also a lot of alcohol consumption in the area.“You can imagine what happens when you drink a lot.
This place does need constant monitoring,” he stressed.This was further corroborated by the current parliamentary representative, Vusi Ndlangamandla, who said the area had quickly become a crime hotspot. He said criminals usually took advantage of the porous borders nearby.Senior Superintendent of Police Information and Communications Officer Phindile Vilakati confirmed the shooting in a press statement.She also reported that police charged a 31-year-old Mbhuleni man and a 24-year-old Mehlwabovu man with possession of a haul of 124.9 kilograms of marijuana hidden in a white Freightliner wagon and trailer that was intercepted near Matsapha at around 7pm on Saturday. The two men are expected to be arraigned soon.
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