Online Reporter
Emmanuel Kafe-Check Point Desk
IN many communities across the country, fearful families are locking their gates early.
In Harare, Bulawayo and other urban centres, the sound of barking dogs or a vehicle slowing outside a gate now triggers panic in many homes.
Community WhatsApp groups, once dominated by funeral notices and trivial alerts, are now flooded with CCTV footage of masked men, getaway vehicles and warnings about the latest armed robbery.
Behind electric fences, steel gates and razor wire, fear is quietly reshaping urban life.
The statistics paint a grim picture.
Zimbabwe recorded 1 282 armed robbery cases in 2025 — an average of 106 cases per month — according to figures released by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba.
Robberies involving firearms accounted for hundreds of prison admissions nationwide, while non-firearm robberies surpassed 1 000 admissions during the year, according to Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) prison data.
Separate official figures also revealed a sharp rise in criminal activity across major cities, with Harare recording the country’s highest crime rate at 6 195 offences per 100 000 people.
But behind the numbers lies a more troubling reality: Zimbabwe’s armed gangs are becoming faster, more organised and increasingly violent.
From money transfer outlets and churches to affluent suburbs and small businesses, the country is confronting a robbery wave that is changing how Zimbabweans live, move and protect themselves.
Affluent suburbs becoming hunting grounds
In Harare’s western suburbs, fear has quietly become part of daily life.
Marlborough, Westgate, Mabelreign and Avondale — once regarded as relatively secure middle-class neighbourhoods — now regularly appear in police crime bulletins and neighbourhood security alerts.
Residents report suspicious vehicles parked at street corners, armed intruders scaling walls at night and gangs allegedly monitoring business premises for days before striking.
Several robberies have unfolded with chilling precision in these suburbs.
Earlier this year, armed robbers stormed a Mukuru outlet in Mabelreign, assaulted an employee and escaped with US$5 631 and R26 600 in cash.
Police later arrested Tanaka Java and Ronald Rupare after a high-speed chase along Quinton Road in Avondale, although one suspect escaped.
The robbery was not isolated.
Police have since linked Conrad Moyo, Milford Sidhakwa and wanted suspect Shadreck Shava to a series of violent robberies targeting bars, homes and motels in Harare and Beatrice.
During the arrests, detectives recovered machetes, bolt cutters, cash, smartphones and electric shock devices believed to have been used during raids.
Perhaps the clearest sign of the gangs’ growing boldness came last month when armed robbers attacked police officers on patrol in Mabelreign.
According to police reports, the suspects ambushed officers near Divaris Makaharis School shortly after midnight, overpowered them and stole a G3 rifle, a patrol vehicle and mobile phones.
One officer reportedly attempted to fire at the gang, but the rifle jammed before the robbers smashed the patrol vehicle’s windscreen and assaulted the officers with bricks and a crowbar.
Only last week, armed robbers terrorising the Greencroft neighbourhood raided the home of a 76-year-old woman and set it on fire.
In the same week, a 45-year-old Chinese national, Guo Bina, lost US$90 000 in cash kept at his Borrowdale home.
Police said five robbers brandishing pistols approached security guards at his house.
For many Zimbabweans, the incident was deeply unsettling.
“When criminals become confident enough to attack armed police officers, that tells you something fundamental has changed,” argued Harare-based security consultant Misheck Ndovani.
“These are no longer desperate thieves. These are organised criminal operations.”
The rise of organised gangs
The trend extends far beyond Harare.
In Bulawayo, armed robbers raided a Mukuru branch along Jason Moyo Street and escaped with more than US$78 000 and over half a million rand after targeting an employee with access to the premises.
Detectives believe the gang had detailed prior knowledge of the building’s internal systems, including cash storage points and alarm locations.
Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi admitted they suspected insider involvement.
“It is clear that these suspects had inside information.
“The robbery was pre-planned and the suspects appeared to know exactly what they were looking for,” Commissioner Nyathi said following the robbery.
Similar concerns are now emerging in Masvingo, Gweru and Mutare, where police are investigating robbery syndicates suspected of using information leaked by employees, security guards or transport workers.
Many of the robberies, Commissioner Nyathi said, now resemble coordinated tactical operations rather than opportunistic crime.
The gangs often arrive heavily armed, disable CCTV systems, confiscate phones from victims and complete raids within minutes before disappearing into surrounding suburbs or nearby highways.
Crime experts say the pattern suggests the emergence of increasingly sophisticated criminal syndicates operating across multiple cities.
“What we are witnessing is organised criminal intelligence gathering,” said a Harare-based private investigator.
“These gangs conduct surveillance, study routines and identify weak points before attacking.
“In some cases, they know exactly where safes are located before entering premises.”
Cash economy fuelling robberies
Economists and criminologists say economic pressures, worsened by ongoing global conflicts in the Middle East, may also be fuelling the rise in robberies.
The allure of the United States dollar, with its famed global reserve currency status, is making it worse.
With confidence in formal banking systems remaining fragile, many businesses and households continue storing large sums of US dollars at homes, offices and informal business premises.
Money transfer agencies, fuel stations, churches, hardware shops and cross-border traders have become attractive targets for criminals searching for quick cash.
“Cash has effectively become both a survival mechanism and a security vulnerability,” said economist and university lecturer Professor Erasmus Muradziki.
“When huge amounts of money circulate outside the banking sector, organised
criminal networks inevitably follow the money.”
The country’s expanding informal economy is also believed to be increasing the movement of untraceable cash, making armed robbery an increasingly lucrative criminal enterprise.
Investigators say criminals are specifically targeting institutions perceived to be handling foreign currency. In many cases, gangs strike shortly before salaries are paid, cash deliveries are made or business proceeds are collected.
Illegal firearms and cross-border concerns
Discussions among Zimbabweans increasingly highlight concerns over illegal firearms and cross-border criminal influence.
Although the authorities have not officially confirmed links to foreign syndicates, some police sources privately acknowledge growing concern over firearm smuggling routes and organised gangs operating across borders, particularly between Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique.
In 2024 and 2025, a Presidential firearms amnesty came into force.
Those with unregistered or illegal weapons were urged to surrender them at local police stations without prosecution.
The initiative targeted illegal possession, including weapons held by relatives of deceased licence holders and other unregistered arms.
Security analysts believe some criminals may be importing tactics commonly associated with South African cash-in-transit gangs and robbery syndicates.
The violence associated with robberies is also intensifying.
Earlier this year, two detectives investigating armed robbery cases in Masvingo were shot dead during an operation in Zaka while pursuing a suspect linked to several incidents.
In another operation in Warren Park, four suspected armed robbers were killed during a gun battle with detectives after police linked the gang to a series of violent raids across Harare.
These incidents highlight both the increasing danger faced by police and the scale of firepower now circulating within criminal networks.
Anxiety
Commissioner Nyathi said police are intensifying operations against armed gangs and continue to rely heavily on public cooperation.
“We urge businesses, schools and churches to avoid storing large sums of cash on premises because criminals are targeting institutions perceived to be handling foreign currency,” he said.
“We appeal to residents to report suspicious vehicles, unusual surveillance activity and individuals carrying firearms.”
He noted that tip-offs from residents had recently helped detectives intercept suspects and recover stolen property before gangs could flee. Yet, despite arrests and police operations, public anxiety continues to deepen.
Across Harare and Bulawayo,
demand for electric fences, CCTV systems, razor wire and armed response services has surged.
Residents’ associations are organising neighbourhood patrols, while churches and businesses are hiring additional guards.
Some business owners have changed operating procedures altogether — reducing visible cash handling, shortening operating hours and limiting overnight storage of money.
The social consequences are becoming increasingly visible. Parents panic when dogs bark at night. Families exchange “safe arrival” messages after short trips across town.
Security gates remain locked even during daylight hours.
And every new CCTV clip circulating online reinforces the growing belief that nowhere is truly safe anymore.
For residents now living behind electric fences and locked gates, the fear is no longer abstract.
It arrives in the form of masked men, getaway vehicles, gunshots in the night and WhatsApp alerts warning that another armed gang has struck again.
