Online Reporter
Tiny Sibanda and Samuel Ncube
TWO gun-wielding thugs pulled off a movie-style carjacking in Bellevue when they forced a driver at gunpoint to start a stubborn Toyota Passo before speeding off in broad daylight.
The heist happened on the morning of 8 July, leaving the entire community shaken and the car’s owner, Senzile Ncube, stunned beyond belief.
According to Ncube, the drama started just after 9AM when her driver Courage Manhema parked outside her gate to pick her up.
“He had parked right in front of the gate, waiting for me,” said Ncube. “That’s when the nightmare began.”
Out of nowhere, two armed men appeared and began banging on the windows of the Passo with what looked like pistols. The startled Manhema let out a scream that echoed through the neighbourhood.
“The men ordered me out of the car at gunpoint and forced me to lie flat on the ground,” said Manhema, visibly still shaken during the interview.
But the robbers hadn’t done their homework.
The Passo wouldn’t start.
Manhema revealed: “The car needs a special technique to get going. They didn’t know that.”
Frustrated but still armed, the robbers yanked Manhema off the ground and forced him to get inside and start the vehicle for them while holding him at gunpoint.
Even after he got it running, the car stalled again. But the persistent thugs threatened him again, and with another go, the driver managed to start it and this time, the thieves took off at high speed heading east.
Strangely, there were no eyewitnesses around to assist or intervene.
Still in shock, Manhema rushed to call Ncube, but couldn’t enter the house due to her fierce guard dogs. Ncube, unaware of the chaos outside, took her time coming out of the house until her child insisted that the driver was urgently calling her.
“When I finally stepped out, the car was gone. The driver looked like he’d seen a ghost,” Ncube said.
The matter was swiftly reported to Donnington Police Station, and investigations are ongoing.
The vehicle, a Toyota Passo, remains missing. The incident has left Bellevue residents rattled, with many now calling for tighter security and community patrols.
“This wasn’t just a car theft. It was a gunpoint hijacking, and it could have been worse,” said Ncube. “We are traumatised.”
Police are urging anyone with information to come forward. Meanwhile, armed robbers remain on the loose, and fear continues to grip the Bellevue suburb.
