Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Senior Reporter
A woman narrowly escaped death after she was shot nine times by two armed robbers at Lusinga Mine in Inyathi in the wee hours of Wednesday.
The woman was in the company of her sister who also survived after being shot twice after the pair, both aged 24, refused to hand over money to the unknown assailants.
The two women, Edith Ndlovu and Nonhlanhla Ndlovu were rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo for medical attention.
A medical team attended to the pair and removed nine bullets from Edith and two from Nonhlanhla.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Glory Banda confirmed the incident.
“I can confirm that we are investigating a robbery case where two armed men pounced on Edith Ndlovu and Nonhlanhla Ndlovu on Tuesday at midnight. The two women were asleep in a cabin at Lusinga Mine when two suspected armed robbers broke in by first shooting a bullet through the hole of the cabin before gaining entry using a metal bar,” said Inspector Banda.
“The women work at a tuck-shop located within the mine premises and the suspects could have concluded that they had money in their possession”.
After gaining entry, the men demanded money from the two women and when they refused they started shooting.
Edith had bullet wounds on her chest, elbow and on her hands while Nonhlanhla was shot on the thigh.
Inspector Banda said: “The robbers got away with two cellphones, an iPhone and a Hisense and US$620 as the women handed them over after they had been shot.
“Other mine workers woke up as a result of the gunshots but the two robbers sped away in an unidentified vehicle before they could be apprehended.”
Inspector Banda said efforts by mine workers to track the suspects did not yield any results.
“Mine workers gave chase and they only discovered that these people had parked their vehicle at Lingo Mine which is nearby. They tried driving to the mine but failed to identify the suspects and the vehicle they were driving.”
He urged members of the public not to fight with armed robbers lest they lose their lives.
“Where possible, members of the public should try and capture number plates to help us in our investigations.
“Companies should install Closed-Circuit Televisions (CCTVs) on their premises and put servers away from the same premises where these CCTVs are installed,” he said.
Mpilo acting chief executive officer Professor Solwayo Ngwenya said the two victims were stable and were discharged on Thursday after all the bullets had been successfully removed from their bodies.–@thamamoe
Online Reporter