A South African, alleged to have been in Zimbabwe as part of a gang planning to commit a robbery, was one of two people who were killed by police during a shootout on Tuesday while three other South Africans were arrested.

Zimbabwean police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said in a statement that Jabulani Ngobeni (45) from Tzaneen in Limpopo and Godknows Machingura (44) were killed.

The Sunday Mail reported that Ngobeni died in a shootout with police at a guest house in Arcadia, Harare.

The publication reported that Machingura was killed after he tried to flee from detectives who tracked him from Shamva where he was believed to have gathered surveillance on a Chinese national the gang planned to rob.

ZimLive.com reported that Andrew Masubelele (38) of Atteridgeville in Pretoria, Ndiafhi Makhado (39) of Thsakhuma in Limpopo, Emmanuel Makamo (22) of Alberton in Johannesburg and Paul Zhou (55) of Waterfalls in Harare were arrested.

According to the publication, police traced the suspects after they entered the country via the Beitbridge border post in a Ford Ranger with Gauteng number plates.

Nyati was quoted saying: “The police are concerned [about] the involvement of foreign nationals in some of the robberies.”