A gunman fired a shot inside the home of Ministry of Health and Child Care official Treasure Dube before pointing his weapon at an infant and demanding valuables in the latest night-time robbery to hit Beitbridge.
The attack happened at about 1am on Sunday in the Kwalu, also known as SDP Hawkflight, area as a series of violent robberies continued to unsettle residents across the border town.
Dube said the robber opened a window and climbed into the house. The child’s cot-bed was close to the window, leaving the gunman within reach of the infant as he issued his demands.
“He opened a window and gained access. The child’s cot-bed is close to the window and from there he made his demands, it was scary,” Dube said.
The gunman took two mobile phones, two tablets and cash from Dube’s wallet — US$60 and R300. He also took the vehicle keys but failed to start the car before leaving.
“They took two phones, two tablets and money that was in my wallet, $60 and R300,” Dube said.
“Luckily he failed to start my motor car because he had taken the car keys also,” he said.
The robbery came shortly after an EcoCash agent was attacked as she arrived home at Tshitaudze, also known as Mashavire Shops. The woman and her family were stripped of their mobile phones and the keys to her shop.
The incidents followed a series of attacks in and around Beitbridge over several days, with criminals moving between residential areas and targeting people believed to have access to cash, mobile money or valuables.
In one of the most serious cases, a 13-year-old girl, Mercy Shenjere, was kidnapped during an armed robbery at a home in the town’s New Medium Density suburb on Friday night. A lone gunman reportedly raided the house around midnight and took the child during the attack.
The kidnapping happened while police were attending to the robbery scene. During the same period, a gunman fired a round at Hosani Kasamula and robbed him of R2,500 before disappearing into the night.
Residents in the New Medium Density area have complained about limited police visibility. Some have said officers are rarely seen outside the Beitbridge Border Post, leaving outlying neighbourhoods exposed after dark.
Councillor Takavingei Mahachi said residents had planned a meeting to discuss the attacks and the security situation in the area.
“We are meeting to discuss the way forward,” he said.
The latest raids have revived memories of an earlier attack in which customs clearing agent and football club sponsor Sebastian Mhondiwa was shot four times after armed men broke into his home in Dulivhadzimu.
Mhondiwa, 33, was attacked at about 1am on 1 September by a gang of eight men who were wearing balaclavas and carrying pistols, bolt cutters and a crowbar. The group had first robbed another man on his way home, taking US$400, R1,000 and a mobile phone, before moving on to Mhondiwa’s house.
Mhondiwa had fallen asleep on a sofa while watching football. His wife was in a spare bedroom with her sister when the intruders tampered with a French door leading into the main bedroom.
“I heard a noise coming from the bedrooms and rushed to investigate. At first, I thought it was my wife and her sister having a misunderstanding. Little did I know that some people had broken into the house after tampering with a French door leading into my bedroom from outside,” he said.
He came face-to-face with a masked man as the intruder left the bedroom. They collided and fell to the ground before the man drew a pistol and opened fire.
“They demanded all the cellphones that were in the house and took four of them. They assaulted me and demanded to know where I had stored the cash. I told them it was in the car. I had about US$10 000, which belonged to clients, and had left it in the car. I had failed to surrender the money the previous day because I had travelled out of town and returned late,” he said.
The attackers shot Mhondiwa twice in the left leg and once in the right leg. A fourth bullet grazed his left thigh near the groin. One bullet passed through the upper part of his left leg, while another remained lodged in the lower section. The bullet that struck his right leg also passed through.
“One of the men hit me with a crowbar above my right eye and I sustained a deep cut. They then fled from the house and my family sought assistance from a neighbour, who rushed me to hospital,” he said.
Mhondiwa was taken to hospital by a neighbour and underwent surgery on both legs. Doctors fitted eight internal fixation devices to his left leg and four to his right to stabilise the fractures. After his discharge, he was expected to use a wheelchair for about six weeks.
His two-year-old child heard the disturbance from another room, while his six-year-old child woke up after the robbers had gone and found him injured on the floor.
“I’m glad that my children did not witness this horrific attack, as they would have been severely affected psychologically and left traumatised.
“Throughout the entire incident, I was praying for the safety of my children, wife and relatives who were in the house. I’m grateful to be alive. I saw God’s mighty hand in all of this, as these people could have killed me,” said Mhondiwa.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that investigations were under way into the Dulivhadzimu attack. He said the gang had used the first robbery to obtain valuables before attacking Mhondiwa.
“We are investigating an armed robbery case which occurred in Beitbridge. Eight men who were wearing balaclavas attacked the first victim while he was on his way to his house and took US$400, R1 000 and a cellphone,” said Commissioner Nyathi.
“They proceeded to the home of the second victim, Mr Mhondiwa, whom they shot several times before fleeing with US$10 000 and other valuables.”
The Dulivhadzimu case was not the only string of robberies recorded in Beitbridge. In July and August last year, police arrested eight people in connection with several attacks in the border town.
The cases included a robbery at a house in Garikai, where an airtime vendor lost R15,000 and two mobile phones. At a house in the SDP New Stands area, robbers took R4,000 and US$3,000. At a shop in the same area, they stole R27,100, US$130, two phones and shoes.
An airtime vendor in Dulivhadzimu was also attacked and lost US$1,200, R2,000 and airtime vouchers valued at US$2,500. In another New Stands robbery, criminals took R99,400, US$1,550 and a mobile phone.
Police recovered a Girsan pistol loaded with 36 rounds of ammunition, two vehicles believed to have been used as getaway cars and airtime vouchers worth US$310 during that operation.
The latest attacks have left residents facing the same dangers in familiar places: at home, on the way back from work and while handling money for businesses or clients. In Dube’s case, the gunman entered through a window and used the presence of a small child to enforce his demands. In Mhondiwa’s case, a large gang forced its way into a family home and left a father with severe leg injuries.
Police have been asked for comment on the latest run of attacks, while residents and local leaders continue to press for stronger night patrols in neighbourhoods outside the border post. Investigations into the recent robberies, the kidnapping and the earlier shootings are continuing.