MANZINI NORTH MP ROBBED E36K, CELLPHONES WORTH E60 000

MADONSA – Manzini North MP Sifiso Mashayinkonjane Nhlengetfwa stared death in the face, as five armed men robbed him at gunpoint.

The incident took place on Thursday morning, at around 7:30am at the Manzini North member of Parliament (MP’s) shopping complex at Madonsa a suburb area that is located in Eastern outskirt of the city of Manzini. The armed robbers went away with cash amounting to E36 000 and cellphones, which included his two iPhones and they are valued at about E60 000.

According to the MP, who is also a businessman who operates several butcheries across the country, he arrived at his shopping complex, where he intended to change cars, he attended to an elderly man who had come to greet him.
He said while he was talking to the elderly man, he saw five men entering the gate and two of them had covered their faces.

Comprehend

“I also noticed that they were all armed with guns - pistols. While I was trying to comprehend the situation, they ordered me to not make any movement. They also informed me that they were here (shopping complex) for me,” the legislature said. He said there was no chance for him to run away, as the spot where he was standing with the elderly man was a corner.

Therefore, they raised their hands to the air and the armed robbers, some of whom (the two who had covered their face), he said he was not seeing for the first time, he said they were there for money. In the meantime, some of the robbers dragged two Asian businessmen, who were there to slaughter a cow. The robbers ordered them to go to the shopping complex’s administration office, and stated that they want money in the safe.

At the administration block, the businessman said they found another elderly man who had come to deliver chilli, together with two other workers and the thugs demanded their cellphones. He said they took about seven cellphones which amount to about E60 000. Thereafter, the businessman said the robbers demanded money and he did not hesitate to open the safe for them.

He said he decided to comply with the robbers because the story of slain businessman Sifiso Simelane, who was robbed by unknown men, who later slit his throat open and dumped him at a forest in Malkerns, was still fresh in his mind. “I believed that if I complied with their orders, no one would get hurt,” the parliamentarian said.

Safe

He said they took the money which was in the safe and money that was kept in boxes, which were used for First National Bank (FNB) Cash Plus transactions. After that, he said they ordered him to lead them to his supermarket, where the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras’ digital video recorder (DVR) was kept.

Upon arriving at the supermarket, they unplugged the CCTV DVR and took money that was in the teller machine. Thereafter, the MP said the armed robbers stole the Asian businessmen’s car, a Toyota WISH seven seater and used it as a getaway vehicle. On another note, the MP said he could not rule out an inside job, because the robbers knew where the safe was and where the CCTV DVR was kept.

Demanded

He said they were the ones who told him where to go, when they demanded money and later on when they wanted to take the recorder of the CCTV. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the armed robbery. She said the Asian businessmen’s vehicle which the robbers stole and used as a getaway car, was later found abandoned at Ngculwini, under Mafutseni Constituency in the Manzini Region. She said investigations were still ongoing and no arrest had been made yet.

It is worth noting that when this publication was interviewing the businessman at his complex yesterday, he received a number of phone calls from his colleagues, who wanted to know what happened. During their conversations, the parliamentarians raised concerns about their safety.

Highlighted

They even highlighted that  their salaries made headlines when the media reported about politician’s packages.
On top of that, they said most of them were also running businesses, thus following the incident which took place at the Manzini North MP’s shopping complex, they believe they might be easy targets for thugs.

As such, some of them suggested that the matter needed to be discussed in the House of Assembly. One of them supported the suggestion by saying improving their security could be cheaper for government than hosting bi-elections in constituencies should MPs be killed during robberies.

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