A 54-year-old Bulawayo security guard was killed while his colleague was left nursing a serious head injury after eight gold panners set upon them with machetes.
The assailants got away with a loaded 303 rifle.
Mr. Ernest Dube died on duty at Adar Bali Mining Compound along Victoria Falls Road on Thursday and his colleague Mr. Ashley Manyemba (20) who reported his death is in a critical condition at Mpilo Central Hospital.
Police in Bulawayo has arrested four of the suspects who will appear in court today facing murder and attempted murder charges.
The four are Tobias Dube from Nkayi, Nkosilathi Ncube from Magwegwe, Loud Ngulube and Givemore Ngwenya from Insuza.
Dube was the first to be arrested after a tip-off and upon investigations, he implicated the other three.
On Thursday around 9.30 PM, Mr. Manyemba who was on duty with the deceased left the premises unarmed intending to have his supper.
On his way back he met a group of at least eight men who were armed with machetes.
The gang pounced on him and one of them struck him with a machete and left him for dead.
Mr. Manyemba gained consciousness after a while and staggered to his colleague whom he found lifeless in a pool of blood.
He also noted that Dube’s rifle, shoes and uniform were missing and a report was made to the police.
Investigations led police to the four and they recovered the rifle which had four rounds of ammunition missing and they are yet to establish where these were used.
The police national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident yesterday and said investigations are underway. “We have arrested four men in connection with the murder of a security guard in Bulawayo and the attempted murder of his colleague which occurred on Thursday. The four were arrested on Friday after a tip-off and police are still investigating as they were found in possession of a rifle,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.
“We appeal to members of the public with information that may lead us to more suspects to contact their nearest police station.”_Chronicle
