DAGGA THIEVES BRUTALLY ASSAULTED, PARADED NAKED, 1 SHOT DEAD

MANANGA – A dangerous high-speed pursuit of dagga robbers initiated by peeved farmers was picked by the police, ending in one death.

A suspected dagga robber aged 34, reportedly died when the police, who were called by the angry dagga farmers to assist, fired shots during the pursuit, which ended near Mananga Border Gate on Tuesday. The victim was later identified as a 34-year-old man of Kudzeni, outside Manzini. Four of his accomplices had to be admitted to a nearby health facility with serious injuries, after they were heavily assaulted by an angry mob, after they were retrieved from sugar cane fields, where they had sought refuge after abandoning their getaway vehicles.

The suspected dagga robbers led farmers on a chase stretching over 45km on Tuesday, before coming to a stop after evading two attempted blockades by the enraged farmers, ending in the eventual death after police had fired shots.Initially, there were eight of the suspected thieves, but the farmers were later able to capture only four, who were subjected to a heavy beating by an angry mob, numbering close to 100 farmers.

Disclosed

This was disclosed by an interviewed resident of Nhlanguyavuka, around Mananga, where some of the suspects were eventually captured. It is worth noting that the pursuit attracted quite a number of motor vehicles (over 20, according to witnesses), which were driven by angry dagga farmers and peddlers, who all wanted to deal with the robbers, who were described as habitual criminals, who had robbed different community members on several occasions. An eyewitness informed the Times of Eswatini that the robbery was initially reported at a place around Mhlangatane at around 2pm, when the suspected rogues allegedly hijacked a van loaded with multiple bags of dagga at gunpoint.

It all started when farmers, who were conveying the bags of dagga in a van, were allegedly intercepted by robbers who fired shots in the air. The occupants of the van were able to escape unhurt, while the robbers who were using three motor vehicles as their getaway cars, drove off with the loaded van. But the victims were able to raise the alarm with local growers and community members, who ganged up in an attempt to recover the stolen dagga consignment and the motor vehicle.

According to a witness, the ‘dagga peddlers’ were ambushed by the suspected robbers around Mawombe, at the Mhlangatane precinct of northern Hhohho. Farmers who responded to the call for help were initially involved in the pursuit of the suspected robbers. The farmers were coming from around Mhlangatane and neighbouring areas. Witnesses said the robbers were eight in total and were driving in different getaway cars, being a Toyota VVTI, a VW Amarok and a VW Golf GTI, which were all foreign registered. The robbers reportedly took the direction towards Mananga Border Gate, in an attempt to flee with the loot, possibly to neighbouring South Africa, where they may have had a readily available market.

Terrain

Northern Hhohho’s mountainous terrain is known for its notoriety for producing the illegal herb. While most of the dagga – known as Swazi Gold – is sold to local users, there are reports of it being smuggled into South Africa, the rest of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) economic bloc and overseas. An attempt was made to intercept the fleeing robbers when angry farmers or community members tried to block the speeding convoy using a Toyota Vitz, which was parked in the middle of the road. However, that attempt was rebuffed after the robbers alighted from one of their getaway cars and pushed the light motor vehicle off the road.

This stretched the chase through the surrounding neighbourhoods, where astonished onlookers could not help but relay the message about the unfolding spectacle to neighbouring areas. At some point during the heated chase, some of the robbers were forced to abandon their getaway cars, one after the other, and found a convenient cover in nearby sugar cane fields. Apparently, two of the robbers were able to evade their angry pursuers by fleeing to neighbouring South Africa, by crossing over the borderline fence using illegal exit points.

There were two occupants who alighted from the VW Golf GTI, but the angry farmers were able to lay their hands on one of them, while the other one got shot when the police started firing shots. He eventually succumbed to the gunshot wound while undergoing treatment at a health facility a few hours later. The two-hour chase across the stretch from Mhlangatane to Mananga ended when police, who had been alerted of the dangerous pursuit, blocked the road at a bridge crossing over the Nkomanzi River, which runs through the area.
Upon noticing the police van, the other robbers attempted to flee in the VW Amarok, leading the police on a wild chase across the area, before making a run for it near sugar cane fields belonging to a local sugar cane growers association.

The driver let out three passengers, who ran towards a sugar cane field, before leading police for another few minutes. He later abandoned the vehicle and also disappeared into a nearby sugar cane field as well. Police were able to confiscate an unconfirmed number of bags, which were stashed with dagga, while angry farmers who had already blocked the road were able to apprehend the initial two male suspects as they tried to make their way into one of the sugar cane fields.

Assaulted

“They were heavily assaulted, while a search party was commissioned to look for others who had made it into the fields. The angry mob had been taking turns to assault the pair, using an assortment of weapons ranging from sticks, broken cane sticks and sjamboks, for close to an hour, when the search party later emerged with a young female,” narrated a witness. He said the woman was also subjected to the same treatment, while the rest of the mob asked questions regarding the robbers’ identities and their informants. The suspects were saved by the timely intervention of police officers, who whisked them to a nearby health facility for treatment, the witness said.

The unrelenting angry farmers continued combing the sugar cane fields up to around 6pm, when they later stumbled on another shaken suspect, who was carrying a knife. He was also severely beaten up, until the arrival of the police, who again rushed him to a health facility for treatment of his injuries. The dramatic chase and attempted robbery were confirmed by Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, when contacted yesterday.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: