Murder Suspects Face Angry Gweru Crowd
Two men have been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man in Gweru's Ascot suburb and a suspected robbery spree, while a third suspect, Brighton, remains on the run
Dumisani Ndlovu 
Gweru – Police were forced to fend off an angry crowd in Gweru on Thursday after two men arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of an Ascot man and a series of alleged robberies were taken to various crime scenes for indications.
Hundreds of residents from Ascot, Mtapa, Mambo, Clairmont, Tinshel and surrounding suburbs gathered as detectives escorted the suspects to locations linked to the investigation.
The crowd surged towards the pair, demanding that they be handed over for mob justice, but police maintained order and prevented any assault.
A third suspect, identified only as Brighton, remains at large.
The indications form part of investigations into the fatal stabbing of a man near St Michael's Primary School in Ascot on June 3, as well as several robbery cases reported in the surrounding suburbs.
The deceased was later identified by relatives and community members as Qubekani Sibanda, popularly known as Baba Kyla.
He reportedly lived on Mabeza Road in Ascot and worked at a local bakery.
At one of the scenes visited by investigators, one of the suspects allegedly claimed that Sibanda was stabbed after resisting an attempt to rob him of his mobile phone.
Sibanda's death sent shockwaves through the Ascot community and heightened fears over a spate of alleged knife attacks and robberies targeting residents.
The fears were compounded hours after the killing when another man reportedly survived an attempted robbery after sustaining a stab wound to the back.
Members of the public rendered first aid before alerting police.
Thursday's arrests have brought relief to many residents who had grown increasingly concerned about violent crime in the area.
Police have not yet revealed how the suspects were tracked down or arrested.
Unconfirmed reports circulating within the community suggest that one of the suspects' girlfriends may have assisted investigators after allegedly reporting that she was tired of being in an abusive relationship.
The whereabouts of Brighton, the third suspect, remain unknown as investigations continue.
