Four Bulawayo shops robbed in a series of framed attacks

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter

THREE Sai Mart shops and a Hamara shop in Bulawayo were yesterday raided by armed robbers in a series of brazen attacks that have shaken the city.

The Sai Mart outlets that were raided by the armed robbers are situated in Entumbane, New Lobengula, and Nkulumane 11, with one of them just a stone’s throw away from a police station.

The robbers were reportedly moving in a blue hybrid Honda Fit with no number plates. However, a worker at the Hamara shop in Pumula East which was also hit could not provide a detailed vehicle description, only saying it was a Honda Fit.

“It was like a movie scene. Two men walked in, cocked their guns, and ordered everyone to lie down,” said an employee at the Entumbane branch, where police were seen taking statements from a supervisor. Two other robbers reportedly remained in the getaway car.

During the robbery, one worker fainted, and an ambulance was called after the robbers fled with over US$4 000 taken from a money transfer agency inside the shop, according to another staff member.

The same method was used at the New Lobengula branch, where one robber pointed a gun at the security guard. “I am still traumatised. If it were me, I would have knocked off and gone home to recover,” said a female shop attendant. The robbers again took cash from the money transfer agency.

At the Nkulumane 11 branch, CID Homicide detectives were taking statements from the workers when our news crews arrived.

While authorities were still investigating the Sai Mart robberies, a separate attack occurred at the Hamara shop in Pumula East just before 2pm. Shop attendants reported that the robbers struck around 1.30pm getting away with an undisclosed amount of money. The shop has since been closed for stocktaking to verify the exact loss.

A nearby vendor recounted seeing two individuals attempting to scale the wall at the back of the shop during broad daylight.

“One pushed a small table for the other to climb on. We thought they were fixing something, but moments later, we learned the shop had been robbed,” the vendor said.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the three Sai Mart robberies but said she had not yet received formal reports on the Pumula East incident.

“We have three robbery cases that detectives are handling, and once details emerge, we will inform the public. As for the Hamara case, nothing formal has come through yet,” she said.

Earlier this year in February, residents foiled an armed robbery attempt at the Sai Mart supermarket in New Lobengula. In December last year, three gunmen stormed Choppies Supermarket in New Luveve, firing shots and escaping with an undisclosed sum of money.