News / Regional
Notorious armed robber shot while attacking cop with a machete
31 May 2012 at 09:23hrs | Views
A notorious armed robber was last week shot in the left thigh while trying to attack a police officer with a machete along the Limpopo River.
The police officer was part of a team of detectives on border patrol along the Limpopo River.
Alfred Makaya (20) and his two accomplices, Vioska Kapuru and Kudakwashe Haruzi, were arrested while trying to attack detectives who were attending a scene in which the trio had allegedly robbed two suspected border jumpers along the Limpopo River.
The three were on Tuesday hauled before the courts on armed robbery charges.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared before Beitbridge provincial resident magistrate Miss Gloria Takundwa.
They were remanded in custody to 11 June.
Makaya was shot in the left thigh and he is now recovering under police guard at Beitbridge District Hospital.
The prosecutor, Mr Reason Mutimba, said on 23 May at about 6pm, the complainants went to Limpopo River intending to illegally cross into South Africa.
They were then spotted by the three accused persons who were part of a group involving five others who are still at large.
The group, which was armed with machetes, knives and a pistol, confronted the two men and demanded money amid threats to kill them.
One of the suspects produced a pistol and fired a single shot in the air to scare the complainants.
They searched the complainants and robbed them of R720 before they fled into the bush.
The complainants reported the matter to the police who then accompanied the two complainants to the scene.
The court heard that while at the scene Makaya, Kapuru and Haruzi spotted the police who were in plain clothes.
They approached the detectives armed with machetes and demanded money prompting the detectives to retreat since they were not armed. However, the detectives later went back to the scene armed with pistols and reinforcement from the police dog section, the court heard.
They set a trap on the suspects and upon realising that they had been trapped Makaya tried to attack one of the police officers with a machete.
The officer opened fire and shot him in the left thigh leading to his arrest.
Kapuru and Haruzi managed to flee and they were arrested two days later.
The police officer was part of a team of detectives on border patrol along the Limpopo River.
Alfred Makaya (20) and his two accomplices, Vioska Kapuru and Kudakwashe Haruzi, were arrested while trying to attack detectives who were attending a scene in which the trio had allegedly robbed two suspected border jumpers along the Limpopo River.
The three were on Tuesday hauled before the courts on armed robbery charges.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared before Beitbridge provincial resident magistrate Miss Gloria Takundwa.
They were remanded in custody to 11 June.
Makaya was shot in the left thigh and he is now recovering under police guard at Beitbridge District Hospital.
The prosecutor, Mr Reason Mutimba, said on 23 May at about 6pm, the complainants went to Limpopo River intending to illegally cross into South Africa.
They were then spotted by the three accused persons who were part of a group involving five others who are still at large.
One of the suspects produced a pistol and fired a single shot in the air to scare the complainants.
They searched the complainants and robbed them of R720 before they fled into the bush.
The complainants reported the matter to the police who then accompanied the two complainants to the scene.
The court heard that while at the scene Makaya, Kapuru and Haruzi spotted the police who were in plain clothes.
They approached the detectives armed with machetes and demanded money prompting the detectives to retreat since they were not armed. However, the detectives later went back to the scene armed with pistols and reinforcement from the police dog section, the court heard.
They set a trap on the suspects and upon realising that they had been trapped Makaya tried to attack one of the police officers with a machete.
The officer opened fire and shot him in the left thigh leading to his arrest.
Kapuru and Haruzi managed to flee and they were arrested two days later.
Source - TC
