On Wednesday, police shot and k!lled a man during an operation to stop the smuggling of second-hand clothing.
The man was identified as 40-year-old Admire Tawanda Sibanda.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident and reported that three other men—Phillimon Matiyashe (32), Tawanda Chafanza (33), and Owen Wenjere (29)—were arr3sted for smuggling clothes.
Nyathi explained that a special police team was conducting an anti-smuggling operation when they stopped a truck loaded with smuggled second-hand clothes on Vumba Road in Mutare around 5:30 AM on October 16, 2024.
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The truck was being escorted by two cars: a silver Toyota RunX without a license plate and another silver Toyota Mark X driven by Admire Sibanda.
When police signaled the truck to stop, the driver fled.
Another vehicle, a Toyota RunX, tried to block the truck. During this time, Admire Sibanda pulled out a gun and fired at the police, leading to a shootout.
Sibanda was shot in the neck and died from his injuries on the way to the hospital. A police vehicle was also hit by gunfire during the incident.
The three other men were arr3sted after a chase by the police.
