adminThe incident occurred at about 5pm on Monday.
The sand poacher, Thabani Moyo (29), was involved in a dramatic speed chase with council rangers that lasted nearly an hour.
The chase spanned five suburbs ending in Nkulumane 12.
Moyo destroyed precast walls at two houses in Gwabalanda, narrowly missing a seven-year-old girl in one of them.
A dog saved the girl by knocking her out of the way.
Moyo, who abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot in Nkulumane, was finally arrested when he gathered a pile of stones that he used to pelt his pursuers.
The ranger he killed has been identified by relatives as Siphambaniso Ncube (50) of Number 4559 Emganwini.
In an interview yesterday, Ncube’s younger brother, Mr Nsizwa Ncube (43) who is also a council ranger, said he was devastated when he received the news of his brother’s grisly death.
“Colleagues who were involved in the chase told me that they found Moyo, a known sand poacher, illegally digging for sand at Methodist Village. He drove off at high speed, prompting the rangers to chase after him in their car,” said Mr Ncube.
Moyo reportedly drove past Pumula North to the peri-urban Hyde Park Village.
From there, he drove through Gwabalanda suburb, where he destroyed two precast walls with the rangers in hot pursuit.
He then sped through Lobengula West and Magwegwe North where he narrowly missed knocking down some pedestrians.
“He finally stopped at Pumula East, opposite Amandlovu Beer Garden. My brother got out of the council car and approached him. However, when he got to the open window of
Moyo’s truck, Moyo pulled out a wheel spanner and struck him on the head,” said Mr Ncube.
He said Ncube fell down and before stunned rangers could react, Moyo sped off again.
“The rear wheels of his loaded truck ran over my brother’s abdomen, killing him on the spot,” he said.
Mr Ncube said a couple of rangers remained with his body while their driver continued the chase.
“Moyo’s vehicle failed to go up the steep slope at the robot controlled intersection between Pumula and Nkulumane 12. He got out of his vehicle and ran towards Nkulumane 12,” said Mr Ncube.
He said the ranger also got out of his car and chased after him.
“Several people joined in the chase and when Moyo got tired, he stopped at a rocky place, gathered stones and started pelting people who were chasing after him. Despite that, they managed to apprehend him and later handed him over to the police,” he said.
Mr Ncube said he could not find words to express the effect his brother’s horrific death had on him and the rest of the family.
He said his brother is survived by his 10-year-old son.
Chronicle caught up with Miss Dorcas Sibanda (20), of 4051 Gwabalanda, at whose home the seven-year-old girl survived death by a whisker.
She said one of the dogs, a giant bull terrier, saved the child.
“She was cycling near the wall, inside the yard when the dog suddenly barked and dived at the child. We all thought the dog had gone mad and was about to eat her. However, the reason for the dog’s strange behaviour became clear, a few seconds later, when the wall came crashing down, crushing the bicycle that she had been riding,” said Miss
Sibanda.
She said one of the pregnant dogs was not as lucky because its hind legs were mangled by the wall.
“We have taken the dog to a private vet. It is in a serious condition. We think it will lose its legs and puppies, if it survives,” she said.
Miss Sibanda said the truck did not stop, but quickly reversed and continued on its way.
Contacted for comment, the acting police spokesperson for Bulawayo, Assistant Inspector Precious Simango, confirmed the incident yesterday.
“I can confirm that the incident happened. The accused was arrested on Monday,” said Asst Insp Simango.
“Members of the public should desist from poaching sand because it is illegal and will lead to their arrest. Besides, the practice destroys the environment. Furthermore, they should not run away when rangers accost them because they would be causing danger to property and other people,” she said.
Online Reporter