Some unidentified gunmen are said to have targeted and shot at a Bridgestone Bus Service bus that was bound for Beitbridge. Some of the bus’s windows were shattered by bullets but luckily it does not seem like anyone was injured. The incident is said to have happened about 10 KM from the town of Masvingo along the Beitbridge-Harare highway.

The driver had slowed down for a road construction hump when shots were fired at the bus but he accelerated and did not stop. There were stones laid across the road and we observed a minibus driving fast alongside the bus. Shots hit the rear windows.

Part of an audio by Melody Mabonga a government worker who was on the bus

The police have said that they are investigating the incident although they said they are yet to get a full report on what actually took place as it seems no one has reported the case to them.

Informal traders a target of robbers

Informal traders often make use of Beitbridge-bound buses to travel to Musina a border town in South Africa where they get some of their wares from. They are dropped off at the Beitbridge rank, catch taxis to the Zimbabwean border, cross by foot and catch taxis on the South African side. They then order their wares, put them on hired trucks known as Malaichas, come back to the Zimbabwean side and board the same buses back to the Tsiga bus stop in Mbare.

Most importantly informal traders often use cash because they have reservations about Zimbabwe’s banking system which they deem to be untrustworthy. This makes them a prime target for robbers who are very much aware of this fact. It is therefore not uncommon for robbers to target South African-bound buses. Often though they just pose as passengers before linking up with robbers on the road instead of shooting at the bus.