TAXIMAN SHOT TRYING TO DISARM, APPREHEND ROBBER

MBABANE – The taximan who was shot during an armed robbery at Smile Supermarket in the capital city yesterday was actually attempting to disarm and apprehend one of the robbers.

The taximan died while undergoing treatment in hospital. The deceased was said to be from Luve in the Manzini Region, though his next of kin could not be reached at the time of compiling this report, hence his name has been deliberately omitted. The robbery, which involved four armed men, took place between 6:30am and 7am, and the robbers are said to have walked away with coins amounting between E6 000 and E7 000.

Smile Supermarket is situated along Betfusile Street. Shops like Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Spar and Engen Garage, were also attacked by robbers in recent months. A shocked truck driver, who had come to deliver stock at the supermarket failed to speak at first, due to the trauma of what happened since he had witnessed the incident.

Composure

The truck driver later gained his composure and said; after parking the vehicle in front of the shop, he decided to take a nap, while waiting for the shop owner to receive certain goods. “Ngisangene namanje (I am confused) on what I saw. At around 6:50am, I called Dr Khalid M. Patel informing him that I was waiting for him. He told me that he was already inside the shop. I then approached him regarding his goods he was supposed to take,” said the truck driver.

He said while they were still having a discussion, he heard someone saying everyone must lie down. He said he was startled. The truck driver also said he thought all the people who were in the shop were customers. “The three men who were inside the shop were armed with firearms. We all lay down, as per the command from the thieves, in fear for our lives,” he said. The robbers then demanded cash from the businessman and grabbed some of the coins that were visible, some of which were in money bags. While this was happening, according to the truck driver, a woman screamed from outside the shop.

“The robbers started calling each other to leave the scene, after hearing someone raise the alarm. One of them was heard saying asambeni madoda seyibhemile,” narrated the truck driver. He further said after rising from the floor, he saw the taximan wrestling with one of the robbers, who was the last to leave the shop. The taximan tried to grab the firearm from the robber’s hand. “I tried to assist the taximan to grab the gun from the robber’s hand, because I didn’t want him to get shot during the fight over the dangerous weapon. We overpowered the robber and forced him to remove all the bullets from his firearm,” he said.

One of the robbers returned and opened fire on the taximan, who was inside the shop. The truck driver said he did not see where exactly the taximan was shot. “What I do remember is that he (taximan) fell on me after he was shot.  Ngigugile ngingaka angizange sengikubone loku,” (as old as I am, I have never seen such) lamented the truck driver. Another eyewitness, who was outside the shop, said the taximan was in the shop to buy something. She suspected that the robbers did not all enter the shop at once.

“I saw a car parked close to the shop. I then saw one man alighting from the motor vehicle and entering the shop, before moving out the second time. I didn’t suspect anything since a few customers had already entered the supermarket,” said the source. The source stated that, while still outside the nearby shop, where she is employed, she heard a sound of a gunshot inside the supermarket. She said three men armed with firearms came out of the shop running towards the parked motor vehicles along the street. The source said one of the suspects was heard saying ‘seyibhemile’. Police officers, warders, businesspeople and members of the public were found at the scene for evidence. The police officers were processing the scene.

Meanwhile, a shop assistant in the supermarket said he did not know what happened after being told to lie down. He said he opened the shop at around 6:30am and went straight to the till. He said 10 minutes after opening the shop, the thieves came inside. “I think one of them was already inside before the others entered the shop. They then closed the shop and ordered everyone to lie down,” he said.

Demanded

He said one of them demanded money from him and he told them that there was no money. The shop assistant further told this reporter that he pleaded with them to take whatever they wanted. “They took the coins amounting between E6 000 and E7 000. I don’t know what happened thereafter,” explained the shocked shop assistant. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed an incident of four armed men who attacked one the shops around Mbabane. While speaking on national radio yesterday morning. Vilakati stated that a taximen was injured after trying to prevent the robbery and was rushed to hospital. “The four suspects are alleged to be armed and, therefore, dangerous. We urge the public not to approach them but to contact the police,” said Vilakati. Later in the afternoon, Vilakati confirmed the demise of the taximan who was shot by one of the four robbers.

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