Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Two suspected armed robbers were killed in a shootout with detectives in Harare on Tuesday, including a South African national, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has said.
Citing ZRP spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, ZimLive reported that four other men, three of them South African and one Zimbabwean, were arrested and face charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of firearms.
Jabulani Ngobeni (45), of Tzannen in Limpopo Province, South Africa, was allegedly shot dead after firing at detectives at a guest house in Harare.
Godknows Machingura (44), a Zimbabwean national, was reportedly shot dead while fleeing from police.
Police have named the arrested suspects as Andrew Masubelele (38) of Atteridgeville in Pretoria; Ndiafhi Makhado (39) of Tshakhuma in Limpopo; Emmanuel Makamo (22), of Alberton in Johannesburg and Paul Zhou (55) of Waterfalls in Harare.
The gang allegedly had a plan to rob a Chinese national with business operations in Kwekwe by ambushing his vehicle as he drove to Harare.
Detectives placed the gang under surveillance after learning that some of the suspects had entered the country through the Beitbridge border post, driving in a Ford Ranger with registration number JG-04 GH GP.
Investigators reportedly tracked them to a guest house on Mauritius Road in Arcadia, Harare.
It is alleged that on seeing the detectives, Ngobeni opened fire with his 9mm Star Pistol but was shot and disarmed.
He was arrested together with Makhado, Masubelele, Makamo and Zhou who told investigators that his role had been to secure accommodation and hire vehicles for the gang – a Toyota Fortuner and a Honda Fit.
Following interrogations, the suspects led police to Shamva where Machingura was allegedly monitoring the movements of the Chinese man who works on Birmingham Road in Kwekwe.
With the help of the suspects, police lured Machingura to Morgan High School in Arcadia.
However, upon seeing detectives, Machingura allegedly drove off at high speed leading to a chase during which he was shot in the groin and disarmed of a 9mm Taurus Pistol. He was declared dead upon arrival at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said they are concerned by the growing number of foreign nationals committing armed robberies in the country.
Meanwhile, transnational crime in the Southern African region is a growing issue, with Zimbabwean nationals also implicated in armed robberies in Botswana and South Africa.
In 2021, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was working on a comprehensive strategy to identify, understand and combat transnational organised crime in the region.
According to ISS, SADC and its member states have separate protocols and strategies to address an array of growing cross-border threats including the smuggling of weapons, drugs and wildlife, as well as human trafficking.
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