News / National
Gunfire and fear: Bulawayo grapples with a surge in deadly crime
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The streets of Bulawayo have become a theatre of escalating gun violence, with a recent spate of chilling incidents raising alarm over public safety and law enforcement's growing vulnerability. The brutal murder of Sergeant Abel Masava on March 28 has come to symbolise a disturbing trend threatening to engulf Zimbabwe's second-largest city.
Sergeant Masava and Constable Magaya were attending to a domestic violence case in Sizinda when they noticed five suspicious men clad in black, carrying sacks under the cover of darkness. Acting on instinct, Masava approached the group to question them — a decision that tragically ended in his death. He was shot in the head at point-blank range and pronounced dead on arrival at United Bulawayo Hospitals.
The cold-blooded execution shocked even seasoned law enforcement officers. But just days later, Yeki Ncube, a member of the Nketa 8 Neighbourhood Watch Committee, narrowly escaped a similar fate. While questioning three men carrying suspicious bags, one of them drew a firearm and fired at him. Miraculously, Ncube survived as the suspects melted into the night — a grim reminder that not even community crime fighters are safe.
These incidents, occurring within days and in neighbouring suburbs, have thrust gun violence into the centre of public discourse in Bulawayo. Once viewed as an issue more common in South African cities like Johannesburg, gun crime is now entrenched in the City of Kings.
The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) recently confirmed the grim reality. According to their third-quarter 2024 crime report, Bulawayo has the highest crime rate in the country, nearly double the national average. The city recorded a staggering 2,506.1 crimes per 100,000 people, far above the national average of 1,370.6.
Of the 205,925 cases recorded nationwide during that period, 84,001 were crimes against public safety and state security, followed by 48,566 property crimes and 40,078 cases involving physical harm. A concerning 89% of those charged were men, pointing to a troubling gender trend in violent criminality.
Fuel service stations have become particular hotspots. Last week, two petrol stations were hit within 48 hours. At Trek Garage in Gwabalanda, armed robbers tied up staff before escaping with over US$15,000 and R800. Shortly after, Amakhosi Service Station was raided by three men brandishing pistols, leaving workers traumatised.
Police have urged business owners to revise their operational procedures. "We urge petrol attendants not to keep large sums of money on themselves or their premises but to deposit their monies in the safes under lock and key," said Acting Bulawayo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele.
But perhaps more disturbing are incidents where violence appears driven by sadism, not just theft. On March 31, a couple in Mbuyazwe was ambushed on a rural road near Nyamandlovu. The man was pistol-whipped, stabbed, and robbed of phones and US$1,000, while his girlfriend was sexually assaulted — a horrifying escalation in brutality.
While law enforcement continues to respond aggressively, success has come at a steep cost. Only weeks ago, Constable Cassandra Hove lost her life in what was reportedly a case of friendly fire. And as the city mourned her, more officers found themselves in the crosshairs.
Yet the police are also scoring major victories. In a dramatic shootout near the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls tollgate, officers gunned down six robbers who had earlier raided a general dealership in Insuza. Two more suspects were shot and killed last week during a high-stakes encounter in Tshabalala, with three others arrested.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's 2022 declaration of war on armed robbers appears to have sharpened police response, but the question remains: will it be enough?
With Bulawayo's once-tranquil suburbs now echoing with the sound of gunfire, the city's residents are left to wonder how long it will take to reclaim their peace — and whether the violence has already left an irreversible scar.
Sergeant Masava and Constable Magaya were attending to a domestic violence case in Sizinda when they noticed five suspicious men clad in black, carrying sacks under the cover of darkness. Acting on instinct, Masava approached the group to question them — a decision that tragically ended in his death. He was shot in the head at point-blank range and pronounced dead on arrival at United Bulawayo Hospitals.
The cold-blooded execution shocked even seasoned law enforcement officers. But just days later, Yeki Ncube, a member of the Nketa 8 Neighbourhood Watch Committee, narrowly escaped a similar fate. While questioning three men carrying suspicious bags, one of them drew a firearm and fired at him. Miraculously, Ncube survived as the suspects melted into the night — a grim reminder that not even community crime fighters are safe.
These incidents, occurring within days and in neighbouring suburbs, have thrust gun violence into the centre of public discourse in Bulawayo. Once viewed as an issue more common in South African cities like Johannesburg, gun crime is now entrenched in the City of Kings.
The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) recently confirmed the grim reality. According to their third-quarter 2024 crime report, Bulawayo has the highest crime rate in the country, nearly double the national average. The city recorded a staggering 2,506.1 crimes per 100,000 people, far above the national average of 1,370.6.
Of the 205,925 cases recorded nationwide during that period, 84,001 were crimes against public safety and state security, followed by 48,566 property crimes and 40,078 cases involving physical harm. A concerning 89% of those charged were men, pointing to a troubling gender trend in violent criminality.
Fuel service stations have become particular hotspots. Last week, two petrol stations were hit within 48 hours. At Trek Garage in Gwabalanda, armed robbers tied up staff before escaping with over US$15,000 and R800. Shortly after, Amakhosi Service Station was raided by three men brandishing pistols, leaving workers traumatised.
Police have urged business owners to revise their operational procedures. "We urge petrol attendants not to keep large sums of money on themselves or their premises but to deposit their monies in the safes under lock and key," said Acting Bulawayo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele.
But perhaps more disturbing are incidents where violence appears driven by sadism, not just theft. On March 31, a couple in Mbuyazwe was ambushed on a rural road near Nyamandlovu. The man was pistol-whipped, stabbed, and robbed of phones and US$1,000, while his girlfriend was sexually assaulted — a horrifying escalation in brutality.
While law enforcement continues to respond aggressively, success has come at a steep cost. Only weeks ago, Constable Cassandra Hove lost her life in what was reportedly a case of friendly fire. And as the city mourned her, more officers found themselves in the crosshairs.
Yet the police are also scoring major victories. In a dramatic shootout near the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls tollgate, officers gunned down six robbers who had earlier raided a general dealership in Insuza. Two more suspects were shot and killed last week during a high-stakes encounter in Tshabalala, with three others arrested.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's 2022 declaration of war on armed robbers appears to have sharpened police response, but the question remains: will it be enough?
With Bulawayo's once-tranquil suburbs now echoing with the sound of gunfire, the city's residents are left to wonder how long it will take to reclaim their peace — and whether the violence has already left an irreversible scar.
Source - The Chronicle
