Two women have been shot and killed and another is critically wounded after a bus headed to Zimbabwe on the N1 was robbed

The incident happened between Mantsole traffic control centre and Kranskop toll plaza in Limpopo in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Three men “apparently boarded a Harare-bound bus at Bosman Station in Pretoria, pretending to be passengers” and subsequently proceeded to rob the passengers on board the bus, belonging to the Copperbelt Bus Company, which, according to Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, left Pretoria “just after 1am”.

As it passed Mantsole weighbridge along the N1 road, one of the suspects allegedly produced a firearm and shot through the front windscreen, forcing the driver to pull over. The other suspects shot three women, instantly killing two and critically injuring the other,” Mojapelo said in a statement.

All other passengers were then ordered to disembark and lie on the ground. They were robbed of their belongings, including cash, cellphones and passports. The suspects were thereafter allegedly picked up by another motor vehicle that was apparently following the bus.
He added:

“The provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe, has ordered the suspects to be hunted down and brought to book.”

Speaking to a radio station on Thursday afternoon, Mojapelo revealed that the men were Sepedi speaking and that all passengers on board the bus were of Zimbabwean nationality.

He added that there was currently no indication that the three women were targeted.

He has urged anyone with information about the crime that can lead to the arrest of the suspects to contact the police.

“No suspects have been arrested, but the manhunt is on.”

The bus was subsequently directed to Bela-Bela Police Station where witnesses and other bus passengers will give their statements.