Five men appeared in the KaNyamazane Magistrate’s Court yesterday (Tuesday, April 29) in connection with a Tekwane South tavern shooting.

Bongani Sithole (28), Tsepo Mashego (43), Henry Nkambule (47), Vusi Nkambule (45) and Muzi Mbatha (49) were remanded in custody until May 19 for a formal bail application.

The suspects face business robbery charges following a shooting and robbery that was committed at a tavern in Tekwane South near KaNyamazane on Thursday, April 24, at around 20:50.

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On that day three men entered the tavern and bought a drink before taking a seat.

A short while later, one of them stood up and left the premises.

“When he returned, he was armed. He allegedly began firing shots indiscriminately, seriously injuring four patrons,” said a provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdhluli.

Mdhluli said the people inside the tavern fled in panic.

“During the chaos, the armed suspects allegedly stole several items, including a Huawei smart phone, belonging to an employee who was one of the victims injured in the shooting. They also stole meat and alcohol before fleeing the scene,” said Mdhluli.

Emergency services were called to the scene and the seriously injured victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

The victims’ current condition is unknown thus far.

The incident was reported to the police and a case of business robbery was registered at KaNyamazane police station.

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Mdhluli said that police investigations led to the arrest of the suspects. “Three suspects were initially apprehended on Friday, April 25. one was cornered at Tekwane while the other two were nabbed at Manyeveni, near KaBokweni. Two more suspects were arrested at Manyeveni in the early hours of yesterday, Tuesday, April 29, bringing the total number of arrested suspects to five,” concluded Mdhluli.