Job hunting women tricked, robbed

EIGHT desperate job-seeking women in Bulawayo were last week robbed of cash and cellphones worth hundreds of dollars by a gang of robbers that had promised to offer them jobs in Richmond.

After robbing the women, the daring gang attempted to rape one of the women in the bush but she screamed and they released her.

Narrating her ordeal to Sunday News last week, one of the women, Miss Patience Moyo, said they met the robbers at the Ministry of Public Works, Labour and Social Welfare offices yard, popularly known as koVundu, in the city centre where they were looking for work.

"It was on Wednesday last week when one of the robbers approached us while at koVundu offices where we were looking for jobs. The man said he was looking for girls with at least three O-level passes to work at a new company in Richmond as a receptionist, maid, office orderly," said Miss Moyo of Magwegwe.

"We told the guy that we were interested in the jobs. He then told us to follow him outside the gate where he asked for our contact details. The man promised to call us later that day," said the dejected woman.

Miss Moyo said, later that day, the man called her and told her to meet him in town the following day by 7am.

"When I got into town at the said time the following day, I met the man and seven other girls already waiting. We then went to board a blue Richmond suburb-bound kombi at the Lobengula Street terminus going to the so-called new company with the guy," she further narrated.

The 21-year-old woman said she was excited that, finally, she was about to secure a job after spending five years seeking employment.

"When we reached Richmond suburb we got out of the kombi near the motor car race course and the guy told us to follow him to a bushy area where the company was said to be located. After walking a short distance in the bush, three men emerged armed with knives and logs and told us there were no jobs and we should hand over all the handbags and cellphones," Miss Moyo said.

"Out of fear for our lives, we complied. The thieves took everything that included money before handing us back the empty handbags. The other guy grabbed one of the girls who was skimpily dressed and dragged her away before telling the rest of us to run away back home.

However, the girl they wanted to rape screamed for help before they released her.

"We went to the bus stop with no money and luckily a police officer saw us stranded there and paid our transport fare back to the city centre."
One of the victims, who reported the matter at Bulawayo Central Police Station said she was still traumatised by the incident.

"I still can't believe what happened. I lost everything that I had that included a nokia phone and R500 and $47 to the robbers but the other girls lost more. There was one who lost two touch screen phones and $200," said the women who refused to be identified.

The incident comes hard on the heels of the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) 2012 national census report revealing that Bulawayo has the highest unemployment rate in Zimbabwe as the province continues to experience company closures.

Bulawayo has 430 972 people aged 15 years and above, 61 percent of whom are economically active, but 27 percent of them are unemployed. The national jobless average is 11 percent.