’Marafaele Mohloboli
Lesotho has witnessed a worrying surge of murders, robberies and other violent crimes. Not only do the crimes threaten peace, security and national stability, they also send out a message that Lesotho is unsafe destination to be avoided at all costs by investors and tourists.
The following article lists some of the heinous crimes that have been committed over the past three months and recorded by a leading private security firm, Security Unlimited:
MAY
19 May. At about midnight, there was a break-in at a private residence in Hillsview, Maseru. An undisclosed amount of money was stolen by the intruders.
27 May. Between 6:30pm and 7pm, 10 intruders scaled the fence and broke into Letsie Flats along Kingsway Road, Maseru. The intruders tied the security guard in the guardhouse. They proceeded to hold some families at gunpoint and robbed them of cash and mobile phones. The intruders fled when the police and soldiers arrived at the scene.
JUNE
12 June. At about 10:20am, a Hillsview resident of Chinese origin was robbed of his jacket at gunpoint. There no injuries.
18 June. At about 10am, armed robbers pounced on a man who had come to a bank in the Maseru Industrial Area. The robbers got away with an undisclosed amount of money.
18 June. At about 6:30broke into a private residence in Hillsview, Maseru. They tied up the security guard in a toilet. A mobile phone and laptop were stolen from residence. There were no injuries.
30 June. At about 6pm, armed robbers entered Shoprite at LNDC Centre, Maseru. The cleared two tills and fired shots before fleeing. No injuries were reported.
30 June. At about 6:20pm, seven intruders broke into Freabel Estate next to Avani Lesotho Hotel. They stole money and mobile phones stolen from a resident. Shots were fired by the intruders and one male person was wounded. The security guard was tied up by the intruders.
JULY
18 July. At about 6:30pm, two armed men unsuccessfully tried to car-jack a businessman in Hillsview, Maseru at the Khali junction. A suspicious vehicle stopped in front of the businessman’s vehicle and two armed came out. However, the businessman managed to drive away and escape.
19 July. At about 6:45pm, some armed men entered a shop at Ha-Foso, Puma Filling Station. They got away with an undisclosed amount of money.
21 July. Two suspects were shot and wounded by law enforcement agents at Hillsview, Maseru. They had been chased all the way from the Thetsane area where they suspected of involvement in a kidnapping incident.
21 July. An armed robbery occurred at Borokhoaneng, Maseru Puma Filling Station. The robbers got away with an undisclosed amount of money.
22 July. At about 7pm, some armed robbers accosted two men who had just deposited money at a bank at Pioneer Mall, Maseru. The robbers approached the men as they were about to enter their vehicle in the parking lot. They demanded money and the victims gave them an undisclosed sum which was change after the banking transaction. The robbers fired a single shot before fleeing in their blue Honda vehicle.
27 July. There was an armed robbery at night at the Puma Filling Station in Katlehong, Maseru. However, no details of the incident are available.
28 July. At about 5:30pm, Khubetsoana Supermarket and other shops were robbed by 10 armed men. Some customers tried to resists the robbers’ instructions and only obeyed when shots were fired. The robbers got away with an undisclosed amount of money.
30 July. At about 7am, an armed robber pounced on a woman in a bank queue at the Maseru Industrial Area. The woman was robbed of M15 400 at gunpoint. The robber immediately took off with the woman’s bag and sped off in a silver car without a number plate.
AUGUST
1 August. At about 10:15am, a restaurant employee was robbed of over M100 000 at gunpoint in Maseru.
The employee, who works for the Stadium Food Court group of restaurants, was accosted by unknown gunmen as he was about to deposit the money at one of the banks at Pioneer Mall.
After robbing the employee, the robbers shot a security guard who had attempted to block them from driving away in their getaway vehicle by closing a boomgate. Unfortunately, the guard later died of his injuries.
