A Zimbabwean pastor and his wife were shot and killed by two armed robbers in South Africa while their two daughters, one of them aged three years, watched helplessly.
Alexandra Police Station spokesperson Captain Kholeka Mhlongo confirmed the incident, which occurred on Thursday shortly after 2AM at the couple’s rented home in Scottsville Extension in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal province.
He identified the deceased pastor as Proud Kanyungwe (32) and his wife, Belinda Tarisai Mukucha (28). Kanyungwe was a senior pastor at the Grace International Church.
“Two armed gunmen entered the deceased’s rented house at around 2AM. We suspect when he (Kanyungwe) saw the door opening he tried to wrestle with the suspects and during the scuffle, one of the two men pulled out a gun and shot him,” he said.
The suspects came through the backyard and tried to gain entry through the garage roof.
“They removed some tiles and they couldn’t get access into the house. They then came to open the garage door and disconnected the alarm there,” said Capt Mhlongo.
He said the robbers then forced open the security gate and hit the door with a concrete brick.
The suspects are still at large and police have since launched a manhunt for them. state media