Chronicle Editor
Sunday News Correspondents
SLAIN Busani Ntate Ndulula Ndebele could have lived a modern day Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde life.
Once details of his death emerged, some who knew him were left stunned at his alleged caricature as a man involved in illegal deals across the Limpopo, yet back home he was known as a humble philanthropist who sponsored football tournaments and tried his hand in opposition politics as well.
It has since emerged that Ndebele was part of suspected armed robbers who were shot and killed in South Africa last Tuesday. Back home, he was part of the committee of High Flyers Football Club which plays in the Bulawayo Province Division Three league.
Ndebele (46) was allegedly shot together with Nothini Nkomo and another person by the South African Police Service who allegedly exchanged fire with armed robbers, who had been pursued after a cash in transit van heist in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga.
High Flyers president, Jonathan Mlambo confirmed that Ndebele was part of their executive as a committee member but had only attended one meeting this year.
He said they were shocked to hear reports that he was shot dead in a shootout with police and had allegedly been involved in a robbery.
“Yes, he was part of the team but he spent most of his time travelling to South Africa as we thought he was a malayitsha (cross border transporter) and we were not that much concerned about his absence.
He had only attended one meeting this year.
“The reports that he was part of an armed robbery gang that was involved in gunshot exchanges with police really shocked us.
“We had no clue he was involved in such an activity,” said Mlambo, whose club also has a juniors team in the Bulawayo Province Serie A League.
Ndebele was also a member of Zapu and was the party’s 2018 election candidate in Matobo Ward 9. He was from St Joseph, Matobo District and had been reportedly planning to host a football tournament in the area.
His death came barely a week before he was due to sponsor the football and netball tournament to the tune of R8 000, which was to include a team from Botswana.
Fortune Zikhali, a member of the tournament organising committee also confirmed his death and the tournament, which he however, said has been cancelled.
“The tournament has been cancelled because the key figure of the tournament and sponsor of the tournament, Ntate, has died,” he said.
Reports from South African media quoted national police spokesperson Brig Vishnu Naidoo as saying police responded to the heist at a post office following an intelligence operation.
He said a group of armed robbers ambushed the cash van and held security guards at gunpoint, but then police pounced, leading to a high-speed chase and shootout.
Three suspects were killed and a police officer was wounded.
Naidoo said an unknown number of suspects fled the scene in a Toyota Hilux and a silver Mercedes Benz after forcing motorists to stop and hijacking them. The Toyota Hilux was later found abandoned near Hazyview.
Some of the stolen money was recovered, along with two pistols, the Hilux, a Ford Ranger and Toyota Fortuner. The vehicles were fitted with false registration plates.–Additional reporting by timeslive.co.za.
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