ATM BOMBINGS: 3 SA NATIONALS, ESWATINI TV EMPLOYEE ARRESTED

MBABANE – The tranquil atmosphere at a popular hangout spot in Mbabane was broken abruptly on Saturday when police officers fired gunshots and patrons ran for cover.

This was during the arrest of three South African nationals and an employee of Eswatini TV in connection with the bombing of the Standard Bank Eswatini ATM at the Mbabane Industrial Site. The quartet was arrested while at Checkers in Mbabane, well above 24 hours after the automated teller machine (ATM) was bombed. Police officers arrived unexpectedly at around 5pm at the establishment, which is situated about three kilometres from the city centre. This was after the law enforcement agents had received information to the effect that some of the suspects in the bombing of the Standard Bank ATM at the Industrial Site were imbibing alcoholic drinks at the hangout spot. The ATM was bombed and reduced to rubble in the early hours of Friday.

On the same night, an attempt was made to bomb an ATM near Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in the city centre, but the suspects abandoned their mission after a police vehicle that was on patrol around the city passed by. According to a source, the police arrived at around 5pm and positioned themselves strategically and some of them accosted the suspects who were seated in a car, which was parked outside the establishment, having drinks. Seeing the police sniffing around, according to the insider, one of the suspects tried to pull out a firearm. The source said the police officers who were in the shadows, fired warning shots. “There were six of them in the car which was parked adjacent to the building of the establishment and when the police approached the car, two of them fled the scene,” said the source. The source also confided that before the arrival of the police, some of the suspects were seen buying alcoholic beverages using crisp bank notes, which was one of the things that raised suspicions.   

Regular

According to the source, one of the suspects was a regular at the hangout spot, but the people he was with, who spoke the Zulu language, were not emaSwati. Another source informed this publication that the suspects were travelling in a BMW sedan, which they left at a car wash and went to enjoy their beverages next to other vehicles of patrons parked in the area. The source said suddenly gunshots were fired and some people were arrested. The vehicle in which the suspects were travelling in was taken to the police station, said the source. “The police officers who came here did a very tremendous job and the manner in which they handled the situation was professional in that no one was injured during the skirmish,” said one of the eyewitnesses. The eyewitness said he was still traumatised after the incident, as she never thought the suspects were among the people who were enjoying alcoholic beverages at the establishment on Saturday.

The ATM that was bombed on Friday morning was situated in front of All Stationery, along Sheffield Road, next to the traffic circle near Bandag Tyres and it was mangled as the explosives went off twice. The incident resulted in a number of people worrying about the potency of the explosives that are in the hands of criminals. The Eswatini TV employee, who is in the Marketing Department, and three South African nationals, are also implicated in the recent bombing of an ATM belonging to First National Bank (FNB) Eswatini, which is situated next to Spar in Mbabane.

It has been reliably gathered that the police are searching for two other suspects, one being a liSwati and the other a South African national. “The South African national and the liSwati, who are now fugitives from the law, took to their heels after getting information that police were hot on their heels,” said the source. Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the arrest of the quartert. Members of the public have applauded the police for the swift arrest of the suspects.  Some took to social media to applaud the police for a job well done. “Cha kuyasentjwentwa ngemphela, kuhle loku kuyancomeka loku maphoyisa,” said one of the users. Another wrote: “Well done maphoyisa, you must leave no stone unturned.” Others pleaded with government to improve the salaries of police officers as their job was risky.

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