Monkey face gang unleashes housebreaking terror

A SIX man axe-wielding gang, dubbed the "monkey face robbers", is terrorising residents of Emganwini suburb in Bulawayo, breaking into scores of houses and stealing electrical gadgets. The daring criminals, who wear woolen balaclavas and paint their faces, allegedly use axes to break down doors as terrified residents scream inside.

The area's legislator, Phelela Masuku, yesterday told The Chronicle how the gang broke into his house last month and got away with a 42 inch plasma television set. He said the thugs also raided six houses along the same street. Victims who spoke to The Chronicle yesterday preferred anonymity, fearing the gang would strike again.

A man, who claims the gang attacked him two weeks ago, said they took away his laptop and forced him to run home naked. "I got off a kombi towards midnight near Emganwini Spar. As I walked home, a group of about six ferocious looking people wearing monkey face hats emerged from the darkness," said the man.

He said the gang was armed with axes and knives. "They asked me to strip and they took my clothes and a bag containing a laptop. "They then ordered me to run home or they would kill me," said the man. He said he had heard people talking about the monkey face gang and always thought it was "one of those urban legends."

A visually impaired woman told of a traumatising experience when the gang broke into her house at around 12AM on August 27. "I was with my three small children when we heard the robbers cutting through the sitting room burglar bars," said the woman. She said she froze in fear, too terrified to even scream.

Said the woman: "We heard them throw stones inside the house. I suspect they wanted to use them to attack us in case we woke up. They stole six speakers, three DVD players and a plasma television set."

The woman said the gang had the audacity to go to the kitchen and prepare a meal before leaving with their loot.

"From the kitchen they stole meat that was in the fridge and all of my plates.

"The stand where the television set and the DVD players were mounted stood empty," said the woman, who added the episode still gives her goose bumps. She said neighbours came to her house after the gang had left and said they had been too afraid to intervene. Another resident, who identified herself as NaKeith and lives next door to the blind woman, said the gang had raided her house three times since December last year.

She said she was with her husband when the gang struck for the second time. "My husband shouted when we heard them entering through a window. One of the thieves escaped, dropping his black secret socks and a knife. "The police attended the scene and took the socks and the knife." She told The Chronicle that she is living in fear and uses pieces of wire to fasten the windows.

Residents said the gang had been operating in the area since December last year. They said they feared it was only a matter of time before the gang axed residents. The residents said police cited lack of resources when they called them after encountering the criminals. They said police have since carried out an awareness campaign in the area and called on them to patrol the area between 12 and 3AM as the gang usually struck during those hours.

Ward 26 Bulawayo Residents Association (Bura) chairperson Janana Ngwenya described the situation as scary and out of control. He said those who had come face to face with the robbers said they painted their faces and wore woollen balaclavas. Ngwenya said residents suspected the thieves were from within the community or have informers in the area.

"They target the homes of widows, the elderly and those where the fathers work out of town. They use a pick up vehicle with no registration number plates to ferry the stolen goods," Ngwenya told The Chronicle. "We're in the process of reviving the Neighbourhood Watch Committee as a measure to curb crime. I've since submitted names to the police and the names are in the process of being vetted."

He said bars that operate late into the night harboured the gang before they start raiding people's homes. Ngwenya said about two weeks ago, the gang broke into a house in broad daylight and stole two laptops, cellphones and groceries that were meant to be shared by members of a "moneylink" club during the Christmas holidays.

Emganwini has a police base and relies on Nkulumane Police Station. Efforts to obtain a comment from Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango were fruitless as her mobile phone rang unanswered.