Zimbabwe journalist gunned down in South Africa

South AFRICAN-BASED Zimbabwean journalist, Mike Chimombe, was fatally shot in Cape Town on Sunday in a horrific robbery where his assailants also took away his vehicle.

Chimombe (37), was the first son of veteran journalist and farmer Emilia Zindi.

A devastated Zindi said her son, who was due to return home permanently in August, was shot after he refused to hand over his car keys to the robbers.

“I am told, on Sunday around 6pm he drove home and parked by the gate to open it. As he went back to his car, three guys had jumped into the vehicle. One of them was already on the steering wheel. As he tried to wrestle them out, one shot him before driving off,” she said.

The car was recovered a few kilometres away from the scene, she said.

“He had earlier told me he wanted to finish the instalment for his car in August and then come home permanently. It was so near, yet so far,” Zindi said in tears.

Chimombe is one of the many Zimbabweans to meet a violent end in South Africa particularly in Cape Town where people can be killed for mobile phones.