Nkosentsha Khumalo
It was a shocking scene at Poly Packaging Private Limited in Belmont, Bulawayo when a 43 year old man allegedly led a brazen heist that saw him and two accomplices walk away with US$105,410 in cash.
Nkosilathi Ncube, a resident of Gwanda’s Mangwe Irrigation Scheme, is accused of ambushing the company’s employees and security guards, stealing a gold Samsung phone, and fleeing the scene in a stolen Toyota Corolla.
The 43 year old man who is said also resides at Metropolitan flat, Alexander Street in Johannesburg, South Africa, was remanded in custody during appearance in Court by Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Dambudzo Malunga, pending further investigations into an alleged armed robbery at Poly Packaging Private Limited in Belmont, Bulawayo.
Ncube allegedly ambushed and hijacked employees and security guards at the company, making away with US$105,410 in cash, a gold Samsung phone, and a Toyota Corolla.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The alleged robbery, which took place on November 13, 2020 at around 9am, saw Ncube and two accomplices, who are still at large, arrive at Poly Packaging Private Limited, armed with pistols.
According to Prosecutor Naison Chivayo, the group attacked Fawcett security guard Thandolwenkosi Dube, who was manning the main entrance of the premises.
One of the accomplices stayed behind to guard Dube while the other two proceeded to the company offices, where they found the cashier’s office door locked.
Continuing the narrative, Chivayo alleged that the robbers proceeded to the company offices, where they found the cashier’s door locked.
One of them jumped through an open window and gained entry, where they found Anna Nheta inside.
The robber then slapped Nheta twice on the face, pointed his pistol at her, and used keys that he found hanging on the inside of the door to unlock the office.
Chivayo further alleged that the robbers forced Nheta to march into the manager’s office, where they found the manager, Conditioner Vavashe, and another employee, Kudzaishe Chabvutagondo.
The robbers allegedly threatened them with firearms and demanded the keys to the safe, which was affixed on the wall in the general manager’s office.
The Court was told that the robbers allegedly took an unlocked small safe from inside the larger safe, emptying all the money into Vavashe’s handbag.
In addition, they stole a gold Samsung S7 Galaxy cellphone and demanded the car keys of a Toyota Corolla parked outside the company premises.
Prosecutor Chivayo also alleged that while the two robbers were inside the office, the remaining accomplice, who was guarding the security guard at the entrance, disarmed another security guard named Norman Mapfumbe.
Mapfumbe had been guarding a nearby company and came to investigate the commotion.
The robbers then locked the premises and fled in the stolen Toyota Corolla.
The stolen vehicle was reportedly abandoned at the corner of Fairbridge Way and Blake Road, Malindela, around 1 pm on the same day.
The Criminal Investigations Department’s Scenes of Crime team attended the scene and recovered fingerprints from the vehicle.
They also found car keys inside a blue overall that had been left at the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, police were able to identify Ncube as the suspected mastermind behind the robbery and arrest him. However, his two accomplices remain at large, with warrants for their arrest.
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