Heists, gangs, and the Vumbunu web

In some ways, the most significant crime story of 2025 was rooted firmly in the previous year. As the new year began, Bulawayo was still gripped by the aftershocks of the Ecobank heist of October 2024, a brazen daylight robbery in which US$4 million was stolen and which would continue to dominate public imagination well into 2025.

The robbery, believed to be the largest bank heist in Zimbabwe's history, refused to fade from public memory. Its scale, precision and audacity raised unsettling questions that lingered for months: who were the men behind the operation, did they have inside assistance, where did the money go and how were the proceeds being spent?

For much of 2025, law enforcement agencies in Zimbabwe and South Africa worked to answer some of these questions. A major breakthrough came in July when police arrested brothers Elijah and Abraham Vumbunu — collectively known as the "Terror Twins" — bringing fresh momentum to a case that had threatened to slip into legend.

The brothers, along with their sibling Tonderai, were already notorious to police. Elijah had previously been listed among Zimbabwe's seven most wanted criminals. According to investigators, the Vumbunus were originally from Mzilikazi in Bulawayo but were based largely in South Africa, crossing into Zimbabwe to carry out armed robberies.

"The due processes of the law are now taking effect for the suspects' extradition to Zimbabwe. Police are still pursuing the arrest of other suspects who are linked to this case," national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said at the time.

After executing the Ecobank robbery in just 149 seconds, the Vumbunu brothers were finally returned to Zimbabwe to face justice. Their arrest brought relief not only in Bulawayo, but also in Harare and Johannesburg, where their alleged criminal activities had spread fear for more than a decade.

Yet the Vumbunu name would again resurface later in the year. In October, police revealed that another family member, Sekai Vumbunu, had allegedly embarked on her own crime spree, this time targeting the city's illicit forex underworld.

Acting with an accomplice, Florence Chisiri, Sekai allegedly orchestrated a series of robberies amounting to US$36 000. Investigators said the pair, both known illegal money changers, staged an early-morning raid at Nkolozi Investments, a bureau de change operating from the CIPF Building. Posing as clients, they allegedly fled with US$18 000 and R151 000.

The pair's undoing came on August 10, after a robbery at the corner of Fife Street and 12th Avenue, where a restaurant patron was allegedly stripped of US$4 000 and R60 000. A police pursuit through Mbundane and Nketa 6 led to the arrest of two alleged accomplices, Nehemiah Dladla (38) and Simon Dube (28), which in turn led investigators to Sekai and Chisiri.

The arrests reignited debate over how deeply crime may have run within the Vumbunu family, with some of the Terror Twins' close relatives having previously been linked to criminal activities.

Beyond headline-grabbing robberies, 2025 also marked the emergence of a new and terrifying trend in Bulawayo: the rise of machete-wielding gangs on urban streets. Once associated mainly with violent disputes in illegal mining areas, machetes became weapons of choice in city neighbourhoods.

A trio — Leeroy Sibanda (19) of Mzilikazi, Nkosilathi Dhlamini (25) of Nkulumane and Ntandoyenkosi Nyoni (35) of Cowdray Park — terrorised residents by ambushing victims along bushy footpaths and isolated areas. Armed with machetes, axes and knives, they robbed people of cash, clothing and personal belongings, leaving entire communities paralysed by fear.

At the height of their spree, the group became infamously known as the "Machete Gang". Their reign ended after police caught up with them in Entumbane, leading to a combined prison sentence of 72 years.

"The accused persons terrorised Entumbane residents to the extent that they became known as the ‘machete gang'. They deserve a lengthy custodial sentence, which should serve as a warning to other such gangs," the presiding magistrate said during sentencing.

As in previous years, Bulawayo also saw its share of Hollywood-style armed robberies. One such incident unfolded on May 11 at the corner of Robert Mugabe Way and 10th Avenue, where two armed men reportedly bundled staff at Crystal Lounge into a room, locked them inside and made off with US$4 300. To delay detection, the robbers locked the premises from outside, creating the impression that the club, which includes Zarah Lounge, had not yet opened.

The dramatic robbery triggered a citywide police operation that stretched into the afternoon, underscoring the continued challenge of gun-related crime in Bulawayo.

As 2025 draws to a close, the year will be remembered as one in which old crimes finally caught up with their perpetrators, even as new and frightening patterns of criminality emerged — a reminder that the battle for public safety remains far from over.