From today's SA Sunday Times. Looks like now Mugabe (officially Mampara of the Year, btw) has nicked everything worth anything in Zim, he's turned his eyes south...
[quote]Zimbabwe link to huge heist
MZILIKAZI WA AFRIKA
SOUTH Africa's biggest heist, of more than R115-million in foreign currency, diamonds and jewellery at Johannesburg International Airport last week, was masterminded by Zimbabweans.
Police say that criminals from neighbouring countries and local gangsters were behind the brazen daylight robbery of US9.5-million (about R115-million), diamonds worth R1.1-million and jewellery worth R97 000 from a cargo depot last Thursday.
South Africa's police commissioner, Jackie Selebi, has appointed a heavyweight team - consisting of the Special Investigations Unit, the Serious and Violent Crime Unit and other Gauteng police units - to hunt the slick gang who snatched their haul and escaped in minutes.
There has been a spate of armed robberies at the airport in the past six months. More than 11.5 million passengers pass through the airport every year.
In July there were three separate armed robberies at the airport in which attackers escaped with guns, radios and cellphones.
In August seven robbers with assault rifles and handguns stole a large sum in US dollars after gaining access to a restricted runway area while cash was being offloaded from a Swissair plane.
In September a Lufthansa employee was shot dead during a botched armed robbery while money was being taken off an aircraft.
Director Bushy Engelbrecht, commander of the Special Investigations Unit, said on Friday that police suspected that citizens of neighbouring Southern African countries were involved in last week's heist.
"It is alleged that some of the suspects are from neighbouring countries. If this is true, or if South African suspects have tried to flee across the border, we will cooperate with police in neighbouring countries and find them," he said.
The Sunday Times has established that some of the gang members were from Zimbabwe.
It has also been established that a truck used to haul the loot away had entered the airport one day before the robbery.
A second getaway vehicle joined the truck after the robbery, carried out by up to 12 men.
The robbers forced three security guards to load the cash, diamonds and jewellery - which had arrived on a flight from Amsterdam - onto the truck. They shot an airport security guard in one of his legs during their getaway.
Last month the Sunday Times revealed that the Airports Company of South Africa had fired its private security company, Khuselani Security and Risk Management, because it had allegedly failed to ensure the safety of passengers at Johannesburg International Airport.
The company was axed after several security breaches at the airport and was temporarily replaced by Khulani Fidelity Services Group.
Three guards were arrested after the robbery but released on Monday, when they appeared in court, due to a lack of evidence.
Two days after the heist, police shot dead Nkwe Leonard Motsweneng, who was allegedly part of the gang, outside his sister's house in Dawn Park, Boksburg.
A police spokes man, Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht, said: "Police fired several warning shots, then shot him as he was climbing over a wall."
Another suspect, employed by Johannesburg International Airport's Apron Services, was arrested on Wednesday.
Gert van Wyk, 34, will appear in court again next week in connection with the heist. <hr></blockquote>