9-man gang holds up City Link bus
By Nqobile Tshili
Luxury bus City Link’s passengers travelling from Bulawayo to Harare were delayed for about three hours as a gang of nine men manhandled the driver accusing him of ‘stealing’ their US$7 000 that was in a parcel he had delivered.
The incident occurred when the bus stopped in Gweru for its scheduled five minutes recess.
The bus company had to provide another bus driver to proceed to Harare as the first driver went with the police and people who were accusing him of stealing their money.
Some passengers are said to have missed their appointments due to the fracas.
The bus normally leaves the City of Kings at 7.30AM and arrives in Harare at 1.30PM but yesterday sources said it arrived after 3PM.
In an interview, Bulawayo model Mr Oliver Keith, who was one of the passengers on the bus said he missed his appointment due to the delay.
Mr Keith said the commotion started when the bus stopped in Gweru and nine men driving a blue Honda Fit raided the bus and manhandled the driver before force-marching him to their parked car.
“When we arrived in Gweru, the host announced that we were stopping for a five- minute recess. A few minutes after the bus parked, the gang invaded the bus and went straight for the driver demanding ‘their money’,” said Mr Keith.
He said the information they later got was that the driver had delivered the parcel the previous day and the gang was saying that the parcel had US$7 000 but the driver was insisting that the parcel had no money.
Mr Keith said after the driver had been taken away by police, the host informed the stranded passengers that the bus company was organising an alternative driver from either Bulawayo or Harare.
He said the driver later arrived and they proceeded with their journey without the first driver who was probably still detained at the police station.
A comment could not be immediately obtained from City Link Bus Company as its employees based in Bulawayo said they knew nothing about the incident.
Midlands police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwenda said she had not received such a report. The Chronicle
