MBABANE – This festive season, burglaries and daring robberies are escalating, prompting police to send a strong warning for families and communities to maintain vigilance.
The robberies occurring during the build-up of the festive season robbed hardworking emaSwati of valuables worth over E400 000 within two weeks.
Two of the targets of the robberies were aimed at savings and credit co-operatives known as stokvels, usually aimed at empowering rural women to afford Christmas shopping and pay school fees for children.
Unknown thieves broke into a businessman’s shop through the roof and stole items amounting to E173 347, including cash in Emalangeni, US Dollars, Chinese Yuan and Mozambique Meticais.
The housebreaking and theft incident occurred at a shop operating as Automotive Paint near Sigodvweni, Matsapha, on Sunday night.
According to a source close to the matter, the thieves, who gained entry through the roof, stole a total of E164 347 in cash. This amount included E137 597, US$800 (E13 520), Mzn45 000 (E12 150) and CNY450 (E1 080). “They also stole a computer’s Central Processing Unit (CPU) valued at E9 000,” the source added.
He said when the businessman opened the shop on Monday morning, at around 7:20am, he made the shocking discovery that his business had been broken into through the roof and valuables, including cash and a CPU, amounting to E173 347, had been stolen. The source stated that the businessman, who resides at Tubungu in Matsapha, reported the matter to the Matsapha Police Station. Efforts to get more information regarding the housebreaking and theft incident proved futile, as the victim was reportedly out of the country yesterday.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni confirmed that a 58-year-old man of Tubungu reported that on Monday morning, at around 7:20am, he discovered his shop had been broken into through the roof and the said money, which was in various currencies and a CPU were stolen. On another note, on Sunday night, at around 9 pm, a 45-year-old man of Mpofu, Pigg’s Peak in the Hhohho Region, discovered that his house had been broken into. Entry was gained through a window and various items valued at E38 850 were stolen by unknown people.
Again, in the early hours of Monday morning, around 3am, a 45-year-old woman of Timphisini in Pigg’s Peak, discovered that Pine Valley Club House at Plantations had been broken into. Entry was gained through the door and several items valued at E22 653 were stolen. Two men were arrested in connection with this housebreaking and theft case. At Nhlambeni, a woman discovered that her house was broken into and entry gained through the window and property valued at E32 400 was stolen. A similar incident occurred at Malindza, where on December 3, at 7am, a woman discovered that her home had been broken into and money in cash amounting to E42 500, belonging to a stokvel had been stolen by a known person of Mpaka. In the still of the night, on Saturday, at Ntabamhloshana, three youths clad in balaclavas forced entry into a family compound and hacked the wife and husband with bush knives before robbing them.
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