Daylight machete attack chilling details heard in court

A Bulawayo woman, Mrs. Samukelisiwe Chieza, suffered serious head injuries after she and four young church members were violently robbed by a notorious machete-wielding gang operating in parts of the city.

The attack occurred in broad daylight on May 1 as Mrs. Chieza and the youths walked through a secluded area between Queens Park and Sauerstown suburbs. Three men ambushed the group, demanding cash and valuables.

The suspects, who have since been arrested, were identified by police as members of a gang responsible for a string of violent robberies across Bulawayo. The group is accused of targeting unsuspecting victims along dusty trails and isolated locations, robbing them at knifepoint and with machetes.

Acting Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele revealed that the gang is linked to at least 20 robberies committed both during the day and at night.

Mrs. Chieza, a Sauerstown resident, recounted the harrowing ordeal: "I was walking home with four youths from our church in an area between Sauerstown and Queens Park when three men confronted us and demanded everything in our purses and pockets. We told them we had no cash as we were coming from church, but they wouldn't listen. I pleaded with them not to harm us, but one of them struck me several times on the head with the back of an axe. They took our mobile phones and fled into a bushy area."

She was rushed to a local hospital where scans revealed internal head injuries and fluid accumulation in her head, a potentially dangerous condition. Mrs. Chieza is currently on medication and uncertain if surgery will be necessary.

Following the suspects' arrest, Mrs. Chieza positively identified the three men at Sauerstown Police Station. The 61-year-old woman is now recovering but says the attack has left her and the young church members traumatised.

Meanwhile, four suspected robbers believed to be part of the same gang appeared in court facing multiple robbery charges. The accused - Hardlife Sibanda (28) of Sauerstown, Terrence Nqobile Ngwenya (24), Prince Ngulube (18), and Shelton Ncube (25) - are alleged to have terrorised residents in Queens Park, Northend, and Sauerstown using machetes and axes.

Appearing before regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza last Thursday, the accused were charged with robbery. Prosecutor Siphiwe Mhlanga told the court that the suspects committed the offences on various occasions, with Sibanda facing three counts of robbery.

On April 26, Sibanda and two accomplices, who remain at large, violently robbed Yvonne Chore at the corner of Sturton Drive and Victoria Falls Road, threatening her with a machete and stealing her Itel A50C mobile phone. The phone, valued at US$150, was not recovered.

In another incident, Ngwenya and Ngulube allegedly ambushed Zibusiso Moyo on April 12 around 9 PM near Taylor Donovan Road in Northend. Armed with an axe, a knife, and a machete, the two threatened Moyo, forcing him to surrender his Samsung S24 Ultra phone, national ID, and US$260 cash before fleeing. Moyo later identified the suspects, leading to their arrest at North End Shopping Centre.

The prosecutor also revealed that Sibanda was involved in other robberies alongside Ngwenya, Leeroy Sibanda, and Shelton Ncube, targeting four victims near a footbridge close to Queens Park Shopping Centre.

The accused were remanded in custody until May 22 as investigations continue.