Over this past weekend, two armed adult males stalked eMalahleni CBD’s streets, on the look-out for potential victims.
Their first victim was Mr Mathe*, an employee at a convenience store in Beatty Street.
Mr Mathe, a cashier, found himself staring down the barrel of a loaded pistol shortly after two men entered the convenience store on Friday, July 13.
Allegedly the men asked Mr Mathe to hand them a packet of cigarettes from behind the counter, but pulled their pistols on him the moment he turned his back.
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Mr Mathe states that the men told him to keep quiet and to not look at them whilst they emptied the contents of the convenience store’s tills into a plastic bag which they had brought with them, spiriting away approximately R2 050.
The two men then grabbed an armful of cigarette cartons each and made a run for it.
The incident was reported to SAPS, but thus far no suspects have been arrested or charged.
The fact that these two armed robbers are still on the loose is even more terrifying when one considers that it seems that they, or criminals following a similar modus operandi, struck again on July 14, the very next day.
Mr Mabena* was at work at his job in eMalahleni CBD. He got up to go to the bathroom and upon returning, found that two armed adult men had entered the shop. He instantly knew that his life was in danger.
The men then told Mr Mabena that they wanted the firearms that Mr Mabena had been using at work. Mr Mabena explained that they did not keep any firearms on the premises.
Both armed business robberies took place in or around this busy CBD street between 9pm and 11pm on July 14 and July 13 respectively.
The two armed men seemed frustrated by this and retaliated by demanding to be given Mr Mabena’s cellphone. With a gun pointed at his face, he handed them his cellphone.
They immediately pushed Mr Mabena to the ground, tied him up with his own shoelaces and covered his face so that he would not be able to recognise them in future.
The suspects used a grinder to gain access to the contents of the office’s safe and made off with R14 500.
* Names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
