Five men appeared in the KaNyamazane Magistrate’s Court, Mpumalanga, yesterday in connection with a tavern shooting in Tekwane South.

Mpumalanga News reports that 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 accused face business robbery charges following a shooting and robbery committed at a tavern in Tekwane South near KaNyamazane on Thursday at around 20:50.

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 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 smartphone, 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.

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

Mdhluli said police investigations led to the arrest of the suspects. “Three suspects were initially apprehended on Friday. 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, bringing the total number of arrested suspects to five,” concluded Mdhluli.

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