E1M STOLEN IN INDUSTRIAL SITE BREAK-IN

MBABANE – Robbers robbed Gil Vicente E1 million in cash.

The robbers, according to sources, broke into Gil Vicente Import and Export at the Matsapha Industrial Site and stole the money. It is claimed that the daring thieves broke the door of the business entity before stealing the cash. The sources suspected that there was a possibility of an inside job as they questioned how the robbers would know that such a large amount was kept in the house overnight. They claimed that there was a possibility of people who engaged in business and or were frequent in the place to have a hand in the theft of the money.

On the other hand, the sources claimed that the discovery of the theft was made on Wednesday morning at around 7am. They claimed that some of the employees and security guards stationed at the company warehouse have been questioned on the matter as investigations ensued. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the theft of the money. She said police are investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, there was also an armed robbery at Sikhosana Flats in Siphofaneni. An Indian businessman was robbed of E35 700 cash and valuables valued at E8 000.  The businessman is said to have been robbed by five people, with a pair among them armed with pistols. The total value of the cash and items tallies E43 700. He was said to have been robbed on Tuesday night just before 9pm.

Also, at Siphofaneni, a man aged 77 on Tuesday morning discovered that his house had been broken into. It was said robbers broke into his house and gained entry through the window before stealing a 9mm pistol valued at E20 000 and money in cash of E10 000 was stolen from his safe.  The value of the cash and pistol, tallies E30 000. It is worth noting that this comes after this publication reported that a woman residing in Matsapha has reportedly fallen victim to theft by false pretences, losing a staggering E590 750.

Defrauded

According to police sources, the incident occurred on the May 31, 2024, at approximately 3pm. It is understood that the woman was defrauded of the substantial sum of money through deceptive means. Sources claimed that the suspect had committed to construct for her at around Lugaganeni. However, the suspect is said to have not constructed the structure and instead, has been demanding more money from the complainant. The suspect is yet to be arrested. This incident was on the heels of a significant cash theft from Nedbank’s Mbabane Corporate Place branch, which this publication reported last Friday. In that instance, a substantial amount of E223 960 was reportedly stolen on the March 31, 2025, at around 5:08pm.

Sources within the bank indicated that the missing funds, deposited by the Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC), were allegedly not properly processed by a cashier, failing to be entered into the bank’s system or handed over to a supervisor. These recent incidents depict the growing challenges faced by law enforcement in combating financial crime within the kingdom. Speaking last Wednesday, the National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police, Vusi Masango, said internet crime remains a significant hurdle for their policing efforts. He revealed that a considerable number of emaSwati have been defrauded of their hard-earned money, with approximately E2.7 million stolen and 59 suspects, including six women, arrested to date.

However, NATCOM Masango cautioned that this figure likely underestimates the total amount lost, as many victims choose not to report these crimes. The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) Annual Report for the year ending January 31, 2025, further highlights this worrying trend, noting a significant 36.2 per cent increase in fraud cases, predominantly featuring cybercrime. This includes ATM fraud, fraudulent online purchases and the increasingly common ‘facata’ scams, where mobile phone users are tricked into divulging sensitive personal and financial information.

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